Where Hell is a Good Thing
by NekoIllustrations
Summary: Hell, a place of darkness and horror, yet a thriving environment for Duras, but is that true for all of them? In all honesty, this story is centered more around Luze  Luka's brother  but I didn't have the option in the character choice.
1. Chapter 1

**First fic for Uraboku, hope ya like it! Reviews greatly appreciated. By the way, thank you to Tishikari for pointing out my little error. I had originally intended the story to take a different route, but then that route was... ridiculous, so I changed it. At any rate, thank you!**

**1**

"Luze, do you know?"

"My lord?" Luze asked as the man motioned for him to approach. As per usual, Reiga was seated on the windowsill of the great Demon Cathedral, fiddling with one of the rare blue roses he always kept around. Luze, being Reiga's right-hand man, usually remained a few feet away out of respect for his master. However, this evening Reiga wanted him right by his side.

"Do you know?" Reiga asked again, still fiddling idly with the rose in his hand.

"My lord, I'm afraid I do not understand," Luze said, kneeling before his master. Despite his cold attitude, Luze was completely and utterly devoted to the man before him. He would do anything if Reiga asked it of him.

"Do you know why Shouyomi was executed almost twenty years ago? The one famed for being the Duras among Duras?"

Luze blinked, "He committed treason, didn't he?"

"Yes, but I take it you don't know the specifics?"

Luze shook his head, "I don't, Lord Reiga."

"He had an affair with a human woman," Luze looked at his master in shock. Reiga chuckled, "I know it seems unbelievable, but it happened, and the woman actually survived his love despite his being an Opast."

"She must have been a strong woman," Luze said in awe.

"Yes," Reiga said, "Before he was executed, Shouyomi sent her a letter, one I believe contained some very important information. Luze, I want you to go to the human realm and find this letter. Act on its contents as you see fit."

"Yes, Lord Reiga."

"You seem happy today, Yuki," Touko said as he sat down. The amber-eyed boy smiled brightly as Toma served breakfast.

"Yes, Takashiro said it would be okay if I went and saw an old friend of mine. I haven't seen her in ages and it means a lot that he's doing this for me." He looked at Touko hopefully, "will you come and meet her too? Takashiro wants me to have extra protection and I want her to meet my relatives, so will you?"

"Of course we will," Tsukumo said, "We'd love to meet your friend. Is she from the orphanage?"

Yuki shook his head, "No, we went to the same school until she was in eighth grade, when her father was transferred and she had to move. She lives in Osaka now."

"When are we going?" Touko asked eagerly.

"In a couple weeks," Yuki said, "We have to wait for break to start."

"What is she like?" Tsukumo asked.

Yuki thought for a moment, "Well… she's a little older than me and she's really nice, but she's always been a little aloof. She's really good at piano and loves to paint," he turned to one of the other occupants of the table, "You might like her too, Senshiro."

Hotsuma laughed, "She sounds like a combination of him and Kuroto," he said, ruffling the latter's head playfully, "Maybe we can ask her how to make you look more effeminate that you already do, Kuroto."

"DON'T YOU DARE!" the younger teen shouted, swinging his fist at Hotsuma, who leaned back sharply, consequently slamming into Shuusei, who fell into Tachibana's lap, who's hat went flying into Toma's face, causing the young chef to pour scalding tea into Luka's lap, rather than his empty cup. The subsequent surge of dark aura that sprung up was pointedly directed at Hotsuma, who slowly backed away as the irritated Duras stalked towards him, seized him by the collar, and hurled him, head first, out of the room. The crash of the breaking vase was ignored as everyone calmly went back to their breakfast.

Just another morning at the Twilight Mansion.

"Alright everyone, time for school," Takashiro said as he came into the dining hall, "And will someone please extract Hotsuma from the wall? I can't make repairs if he's in the way."

Shuusei sighed, "I'll do it," he said, standing up and walking out of the room. A few moments later, he poked his head back in awkwardly, saying, "Tsukumo, Senshiro, Tachibana, if you could come and help me that'd be great. He's… pretty stuck…"

The group laughed as they all came to see the spectacle that was a v-shaped Hostuma crammed into a small hole in the wall. He flushed as Tachibana and Toma nearly fell over with laughter while Touko clutched to wall for support as she doubled over, tears of mirth in her eyes.

"SHUT UP!" he cried, "This isn't funny!"

"Yes it is," Senshiro said, coming forward with Shuusei, taking one of his arms while the latter took the other. After several moments of tugging, Hotsuma came free, dusting plaster from his uniform and glaring at Luka.

"You didn't have to throw me that hard!" he growled.

Luka ignored him as he took Yuki by the arm, "I'll drive you to school," he said.

Luze tugged absently at the tie around his neck, ignoring the small group of women who were staring at him with excited grins. In all honesty, he preferred his uniform to the clothes he was wearing now. His shirt wasn't tucked into his pants, which fell lazily around his boots. The sleeves of his button down were rolled up to reveal his forearms, the red tie the only color in otherwise completely black ensemble. Coupled together with the absence of his uniform hat and gloves, Luze had come to hate his current attire. It was too informal.

How can humans possibly enjoy dressing with such classlessness? All he'd seen so far was scantily clad women like the group that was watching him now and men in ripped denim trousers and loose hooded jackets. The only men that were dressed similar to himself seemed to be suckering the women into becoming the whores that they appeared to be. All in all, he was thoroughly disgusted with the human world so far and longed to be in his comfortable room back in Reiga's fortress.

The large black dog at his side nosed his hand gently, bringing Luze out of his thoughts as he knelt down and scratched his familiar behind the ears. Fen was probably the only thing in his life that he was genuinely attached to. Normally Luze would let the creature walk around in his full wolf form, but for the sake of his mission, he'd confined Fen to his current state. Although, given the numerous stares he'd been getting from the human women, it seemed a rather pointless precaution.

He checked the wristwatch that Reiga had given him before his departure and saw that the target was due to appear any minute. Sure enough, he saw her as he looked up again.

She looked to be in her late thirties, possibly early forties, and looked like a business woman. Luze was surprised to see how quickly she walked despite the height of her black heels and lack of elasticity in her similarly hued pencil skirt. The grey tie around the collar of her white blouse fluttered about in the small breeze that had picked up. Her hair was pulled up into a tight bun and her jacket was slung over her arm, a satchel hanging across her shoulder.

He watched her as she stopped on the bridge and looked at the watch on her wrist. From where the Opast stood, it seemed like she was waiting for someone. He found he was correct a moment later as he saw her smile at the two figures approaching her. The first was a tall man with glasses and a fatherly countenance, obviously the woman's husband. His chestnut hair fell messily into his eyes, a trait inherited by the boy who held onto his hand, though the latter's hair was black like his mother's. He seemed to be around twelve or thirteen years old and was dressed in some sort of sports uniform. The father was dressed just as respectably as his wife, clad in dark grey slacks and a white button down, a pale blue tie hanging loosely around his throat.

"How was work, dear?" the woman asked as she gave her husband a quick kiss.

"The same, and you?" the man asked.

She laughed, "Just as boring as ever," she said, then smiled down at the boy, "how was your soccer game, Kanto?"

"We won!" the excited boy cried, grinning and hugging his mother around the waist, "ten to nothing, it was awesome!"

"It certainly was something," the boy's father said with a warm smile, "Kanto scored the winning goal too."

"That's amazing!" the woman cried happily. The overall image was that of a normal, happy family. Luze found it quite hard to believe that the woman before him was the same one that had survived being courted by Shouyomi. She seemed so ordinary, just as fragile as the other humans around him. He shook his head mentally, humans were so unpredictable.

"Hey," the boy said, looking around, confusion on his face, "Where's Kai?"

"Yes, I thought you two were supposed to meet at the station," the man said to his wife.

She nodded, "She called me and told me she'd be a bit late. She said something about a project not going as smoothly as she'd have liked it to."

"That's because my partner doesn't have a working bone in her body." A young woman approached the group. She certainly seemed to be related to the family, but Luze had his doubts. For one, her overall figure didn't fit with any of them. She had a lean build, her limbs long and supple, and judging by the lightness of her steps, she was probably a dancer. Her mother's build was also light and airy, but her shoulders were broader, her gate heavier than her daughter's. The only resemblance between them lay in the their jet black hair, though the latter's hung about an inch below her hips and the former's would probably only reach her shoulders unbound. It was also the only thing that signified any relationship with her younger brother.

As for the father, there was nothing common between them. Not even their height showed any hint of relation. The girl was tall, but she was thin and lightly toned, the father was broad-shouldered and quite muscular. No matter how hard Luze tried, he just couldn't find any inherited genes in the girl from the man. They were speaking again and had begun to move, forcing Luze and Fen to follow at a discreet distance, but still remain close enough to hear their conversation.

"You're kidding," the mother was saying, "I thought your teacher knew full well that you hated each other! Why on earth did he pair you with that awful girl?"

The girl shrugged, "it was a substitute that assigned the project and it was too late to switch by the time the professor came back. He came back today, actually, and the project is due tomorrow. Don't worry," she added, "I plan to let him know who actually did the work."

"That girl better fail without affecting your grade, Kai," the man said, "I don't care if her father's on the board of trustees, that girl has no right to behave in such a way."

"The professor's a good guy," the girl, Kai, replied, "he'll handle it." She stretched as she walked, "Anyway, how's this Okonomiyaki place?"

"Best I've had since we moved to the city," the man said with a grin, "minus your mother's, of course."

Luze wandered among the various shops while the family went into the restaurant, waiting for them to emerge before making his move. As he vaguely inspected the various wares, his thoughts lingered on the young woman in the family. He wondered again if she really was their daughter, for there was something about her that seemed to put her above the rest of them. Her overall bearing was quite graceful and she seemed to be well disciplined, though perhaps it was just her upbringing.

Her attire wasn't exactly pleasing to him, but her black pants, boots, and jacket combined with her simple dark blue top were much more conservative and thus much more appealing to him than the skimpy clothing he'd seen on the other human females. The only gaudy thing about her was the choker he'd seen around her throat. A large black cross, inlayed with various silver designs and set with a dark red stone in the middle, hung from a black band about an inch and a half wide. Two silver chains also connected the band to the cross on either side. With the girl's simple attire, it seemed a little out of place, but not distastefully so.

Luze had to admit that, were she not a human, he just might have considered the girl somewhat attractive.

Somewhat.

The family finally exited the restaurant and Luze saw his chance as they walked toward him, unaware of his presence. He walked forward briskly, purposely accidently bumping into the man, who had his wallet out in his hand.

"Ah, excuse me, let me get that for you," Luze said in a falsely apologetic tone. Luckily the man seemed to buy it seeing as he smiled, waving his hand dismissively.

"Oh no, I wasn't paying attention," he said jovially, "Thank you," he added as Luze handed him the wallet.

"Is this yours as well?" Luze asked, holding out the man's driver's license, "I think I saw it fall out of your wallet earlier."

"Thanks, I'd be in trouble if I lost this," the man said with a laugh, "What's your name, son?"

"Yura," the Duras replied, noting the look of skepticism on the girl's face. She turned away a moment later as her brother tugged on her sleeve, kneeling down as he whispered in her ear. She smiled softly, then stood again, a more friendly expression on her face as she addressed Luze.

"If it's alright," she said, "My little brother would like to pet your dog."

Luze blinked, humans really were unpredictable. He nodded and knelt beside Fen as the girl ushered her brother forward, "It's alright," he said, playing up his mock-kindness act, "he won't bite you."

The boy edged forward and hesitantly put his hand on Fen's head. Luze was a little taken aback when his familiar leaned into the human's touch, inwardly praying that the wolf wouldn't end up like Luka's Sodom. He was grateful when the boy backed away and Fen stepped back to stay by his master's side.

"Thank you," the boy said quietly, clutching his sister's arm again.

As they walked away, Luze smirked to himself, pulling a replica of the man's driver's license out of his pocket. A rather simple spell that takes less that a moment, that was all he needed to get the family's address. He'd wait until they were all gone for the day, then proceed with the next stage of his mission.


	2. Chapter 2

**Again, mistakes are a given, but hope you enjoy ;)**

**2**

"That young man was certainly very kind to let you pet his dog," Kai's mother was saying as they walked towards the car.

"Yeah, but I was a little scared," Kanto, her little brother replied, "it was so big!"

"I've never seen a dog like that one," Haruka, her step father, said as he opened the door for his wife, "Have you, Kai?"

She shook her head, "I honestly didn't like the vibe I got from him," she said as she slid into the back seat with her brother, "he didn't seem genuine in anything he said or did. And you saw how he was dressed, he looked like one of those pimps you see on the bridge."

"Maybe, but we can't judge by appearances, Kai," Haruka said as he pulled out of the parking lot, "at any rate, when is your friend coming to visit again?"

"In about a week," Kai replied, "But he'll be staying in a nearby hotel."

"I told you it'd be okay for him to stay with us," her mother said, "did you tell him that?"

Kai nodded, "Yes, but I also told you that Yuki's been adopted," she said, "and he wants me to meet his relatives and the new friends he's made. I think he said about seven others are coming with him."

"Gracious that's a large number," her mother cried, "Well then, we'll have to figure out dinner arrangements, cooking for twelve people will be hard."

"I can help you if you want," Kai offered.

"No, you'll need to be with Yuki and his companions like a good hostess," her mother replied quickly, "My nerves will be all over the place until they come, so I'll need you to distract them until dinner, alright?"

"Alright," Kai replied, "Just don't overdo it. I don't want you to stress yourself too much."

Her mother smiled at her from the front seat, "You're such a good child," she said, "it makes me so happy."

Kai smiled, but it faded as soon as her mother faced forward again. She rested her forehead against the cool glass of the window, knowing full well what her mother was trying to do when she'd said that. It had always been this way, Kai's mother praised her whenever she could, even for the most insignificant of deeds. At first, Kai hadn't suspected a thing, the praise made her so happy as a child, but now… now she knew better.

She knew her mother felt guilty.

Kai was an illegitimate child by her mother's previous lover. Her mother had loved him unconditionally and it seemed obvious that he reciprocated her feelings. He was often gone for long periods of time on some mysterious business, but Kai's mother had never bothered to question it, her faith in him was so unshakeable. He'd always send her love letters, telling her how much he missed her and such. These letters were her mother's greatest treasure, but soon they became her greatest pain. Kai could still remember coming down the stairs a mere three weeks ago to find her mother sitting by the fireplace, an ornate box by her side.

"What are you doing up so late?" her mother had asked quickly as Kai approached her.

"It's only eleven o'clock," she'd replied with a shrug, "I just came down for some water. I thought I heard someone in here and came to take a look."

"Oh," that was all her mother said, looking guiltily at the box at her feet, "Kaida, you know I love you, don't you?"

Kai blinked, then nodded, "of course," she said, "why?"

"I just… I told you about your father too, didn't I? Your real father?"

Kai stiffened, the subject of her birth father was a rather sensitive one between the two of them. He'd abandoned Kai's mother while she was still pregnant with nothing but a letter full of vague hints, the only clear thing being the fact that he was never going to return. The unfortunate thing was that Kai knew her very presence was hurting her mother. As she'd grown older, she'd come to look more and more like her father, a fact that she was all-too aware of whenever she was with the entirety of her family. Kai had only been told of her father once and the fact that her mother was speaking of him again made her nervous.

"What's wrong?" she asked, kneeling beside her mother, "did he… did he contact you again?"

Her mother shook her head, "No… I just, can't live with these memories anymore," she said, "the only memory I want of him is the best one he left me… I only want you to remain, Kaida. That's why," she opened the box, revealing several stacks of ornately sealed envelopes, "I don't want you to hate me for destroying these."

Kai smiled sadly, taking a letter from the box, "They're so beautiful," she said, looking at the elegant handwriting, "It seems a shame, but I don't want you to feel anymore pain because of them. It's okay, if burning them will help… then please… just do it."

And so she had, Kai came down a little while after her mother had gone to bed and approached the now extinguished fire place. The remains of the beautiful black box smoldered dimly in the darkness of the room and Kai gazed at it sadly. She didn't know why, but it seemed like a part of her had gone with the letters.

Then again, even as she watched the various cars pass them on their way home, Kai knew why she'd felt that way. It had always seemed like her mother was denying half of Kai's existence, trying to make her daughter her child and force any sign of her real father out of her. But she couldn't do it all, Kai had his painting in her room, hanging among her own canvases and there was no denying that the only thing Kai had inherited from her mother was her black hair. The rest of her features, her startlingly grey eyes, her fair skin and slim figure, all of it was his, she knew it.

It was an unavoidable fact: she was undeniably her father's child, not her mother's.

Her thoughts were interrupted as her cell phone buzzed on their way into the house. She hurriedly fished it out of her pocket and remained outside to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Kai?"

"Yuki!" Kai smiled as her old friend's voice came through the receiver, "How are you?"

"Excellent, I can't wait to see you," Yuki replied jovially, "I just have a quick question, what are these tickets you sent us?"

"Ah!" Kai laughed apologetically, "I'm sorry, I've been so stressed out about my university project that my brain has been all over the place. They're for a piano performance that happens to be the same day you're coming to visit and I thought you'd like to come. I'm sorry for not telling you when I sent them."

"Oh, no, it's nothing," Yuki said with a small laugh, "Are you performing?"

"Yeah, I'm freaking out about it, though," she replied, "I've been up to my ears in coming up with original compositions, it's ridiculous. And college has been so hectic lately that I have not idea how I've been able to survive."

"Don't push yourself," Yuki said gently, "on another note, you seem happier than the last time we talked, how are things?"

"Alright," Kai said, "Apart from the stress of working with an idiot for a partner and my upcoming recital, I suppose I'm okay, still feeling out of place, though. Do you know how many times I've been asked if I'm adopted?"

"It's alright, Kai," her friend reassured her, "the important thing is that you know, isn't it?"

Kai laughed, "Yeah, I guess," she said, "how are things going on your end? I bet you have exams coming up, don't you?"

"Yes, you've already had yours, haven't you?"

"Yep," Kai replied, "I just have a project to hand in tomorrow and then all that's left is to practice for next weekend."

"Do your best, I've actually got to go, but I'll see you next Saturday!" Yuki said.

"Yeah, see you," Kai said as she hung up the phone and entered the house.

"Was that Yuki?" her mother asked as she helped Haruka carry a sleeping Kanto up the stairs.

Kai nodded, "He's really excited about coming to the performance," she said, "I'm going to go practice now, actually, so I'll say goodnight."

"Alright, goodnight," her mother said with a smile.

"Don't stay up too late, bud," Haruka said with a grin.

Kai nodded and headed into a large, open room that was mainly made up of windows, giving her a nice view of the night outside. A large grand piano stood in the center, several music books lying on a side table that stood next to the couch at the same end of the room where there also stood a small bookcase. These items were the only decoration besides the large fireplace, the same one where Kai had found her mother burning the letters.

She crossed to the piano and set a notebook on the stand, flipping through the pages until she found the piece she needed to work on. It was still incomplete, but it was the last one Kai needed to get done before the performance so she wasn't too worried. She proceeded to spend the next couple of hours fiddling the composition and didn't even notice when her eyes drifted shut.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, sorry for late updating. I'm studying abroad right now (In Japan, ironically enough XD) and my host family doesn't have internet at home and sometimes things get a little hectic when I'm at school so...well you can imagine. At any rate please enjoy the next installment. ^w^ Reviews are greatly appreciated.**

**3**

Luze stepped toward the house, glad to be back in his uniform. Fen had reverted back into the large wolf he truly was, his black fur swirling about like tendrils of smoke. Luze rested a hand on Shadow Hound as he waited for the family's car to pull out of the driveway. The Opast noticed that they seemed to have left a light on, but he shrugged it off as an accident. After a couple moments, he stood and went to carry out his mission.

The young woman from earlier that week was asleep, her head and arms resting on the couch while the rest of her body was spread out gracefully on the floor. Her hair was now pulled back into a low ponytail that was braided up the back of her head, but Luze noticed that, like the first time he'd seen her, she had gently swept her bangs over her left eye. He shrugged off his slight pang of curiosity and silently entered the house, careful to avoid stepping on the music sheets at the girl's side. He whipped his head around, wondering where to begin.

He started as the girl let out a small groan and woke up, prominent grey eyes fixing themselves upon him almost immediately. She leapt to her feet, tensing in preparation for an attack. Luze couldn't help himself, he was impressed that she had such prudent instincts.

She stared at Luze as she recognized him, "You're that guy from the bridge," she said, "Yura."

"As you can probably guess," Luze said, "That's not actually my real name." He surveyed her for a moment, weighing his options, "Yes, I suppose you will be able to help me," he mused, stepping toward her, "You are the daughter of Kirihara Sayuri, are you not?"

"Yeah, so what if I am?" she demanded, standing her ground, not once moving her eyes from him.

"Are you aware your mother had a rather intimate relationship nearly twenty years ago?"

The girl stared at him, "How did you…?" she took a step away from him, "How did you know that?"

Luze smirked, "Her lover once worked in the same profession I do now," he said, " hard as that may be for you to understand, I assure that it's true. But I digress." He stepped forward until he was mere inches from her, looking down at her, his gaze one of intimidation, "Now, I know he's had correspondence with your mother through letters and I'd like to see them," he cupped her chin in his hand, "and I'd suggest you behave and bring them to me, there's one in particular that I'm searching for. If you don't cooperate or if you try and draw attention to us, you can kiss your vocal chords goodbye."

She swallowed thickly, though she continued to glare at him, "They're gone," she snarled, "My mother got rid of them."

Luze narrowed his gaze at her, moving his hand down to grip her neck. He smirked as fear flashed through her face and leaned in to whisper, "I'd hate for your family to come home to your mangled corpse, wouldn't you?" He tightened his hold on her throat as she attempted to struggle, lifting her a few inches off the floor with ease.

"I wouldn't do that," he said dangerously. He sighed as she continued to tug at his hand, "Telling me what you're hiding would be a far more rewarding pursuit than continuing on like that. Come to your senses, girl, and tell me what your mother did with the letters."

"I…told you," she gasped, "She… got rid of… them."

"How?" Luze demanded impatiently.

"Why… the hell should I… tell you?"

"I thought I made it very clear to you that your life is on the line," Luze replied, "And if you're going to be noble and willingly sacrifice yourself, then don't think I won't just ask your mother myself." He smirked again as she stared at him, "I'll make you watch as I kill them and I assure you their deaths will be slow, agonizingly painful. You wouldn't want little Kanto to go through that, would you?" He let go of her, watching contemptuously as she fell to her knees, her face pale. He knelt down in front of her, forcing her to look him in the eye, "Choose wisely," he said, "and I suggest you do it quickly."

"She burned them," the girl said bitterly, "they're nothing but ash."

"How long ago?"

"Almost a month now," she said, refusing to look at him.

"Good girl," Luze said, turning to his familiar, "Fen, make sure she doesn't move. It'd be annoying if she tried anything."

The great wolf nodded, moving to stand over the human, effectively pinning her to the floor. Luze ignored the glare she gave him as he approached the fireplace, stretching his hand over the ashes and murmuring the incantation in his native language. A soft purple glow enveloped the charred debris as the spell took it over. After a few moments, he was holding an ornate box filled with stacks of letters, all sealed with Shouyomi's crest. He turned away from the fireplace, tucking the box under his arm.

"Let's go, Fen," he said, "these will take some time to sift through and I'd rather not stay in the human world any longer than absolutely necessary. This place makes me want to vomit."

"What… what the hell are you?" the Opast looked over his shoulder to see the girl getting shakily to her feet. He weighed his options and the consequences of each one, then decided on the course of action he would take.

"I should erase your memories of this encounter," he said, "but you don't seem like others of your kind. I'll let you suffer, knowing full well that there's no one you can tell about this night. I'm interested to see how you handle that prospect."

"My 'kind'?" she said, "you make it sound like you're not human, which, judging by what I've seen so far, I don't doubt. That still doesn't answer my question, what the hell are you?"

"A young woman shouldn't raise her voice, no matter how vulgar a race she belongs to," Luze said coolly, "and perhaps, in due time and if I feel like it, I will answer your questions. Patience is a virtue, but until, rather, if I tell you, I suppose you'll just have to go mad with curiosity." He stretched his hand out toward her, "For now, sleep, let your mind sink into darkness."

"What are you…?" she never finished her question. Luze caught her limp form and placed in on the couch, shifting her into a more natural sleeping position. It would cause problems for him if her family suspected a break-in, they'd raise their guard and it'd be difficult for him to return to the house.

He vaguely considered healing the bruise he'd left on the girl's neck, but thought better of it. After all, it wasn't proper to shield people from reality, not even humans.

* * *

Kai awoke the next day to find sunlight shining in through the large floor-to- ceiling window behind the couch. She vaguely wondered how she'd gotten on the couch in the first place before pain shot through her neck. She jolted upright, clutching her throat as the skin continued to burn and stumbled to the bathroom. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the large, purple bruise that had formed, even her necklace failed to hide most of it.

She clutched the sink, her shoulders shaking with frustration and anger. She hadn't imagined it, the events of last night really had happened. Some godforsaken bastard had broken into her house and gotten the best of her, it made Kai's blood boil just thinking about it. She'd lived in Osaka for years now, it was filled with gangs and yakuza ready to take advantage of young women like herself, so naturally she'd learned how to fight and protect herself. But that… that person had come in and taken her down like it was nothing!

A knock on the door made Kai jump, breaking her out of her thoughts. She opened the door to find her mother standing outside.

"Finally awake are you?" she said, then raised her eyebrow questioningly, "Does your throat hurt? Why are you holding your neck like that?"

"Oh… it's nothing really," Kai said, inwardly cursing the hoarseness of her voice. She cleared her throat, "I think I slept on my neck wrong, that's all."

"I don't buy that for a second, put your hand down!" Kai couldn't help but obey, waiting for the slew of questions that was sure to come her way.

"Hmm… maybe you did just sleep on it wrong, though you still sound hoarse. Stay here, I'll be back with some painkillers." Kai stared as her mother left the room. Turning back to the mirror, she saw that the bruise was indeed there, so why hadn't her mother said anything. Even a moment later, when Kanto came down to give her a good-morning hug, he didn't seem to notice.

It was then that Kai began to wonder, was she possibly the only one who could see the injury? After all, she'd always been able to see things that other people couldn't, maybe the bruise was just another one of those things. That guy had said quite openly that he wasn't human and Kai had to admit that the things she saw didn't qualify as anything "natural", at least, not in the everyday sense. She sighed to herself, just one more thing that set her apart from the rest of the family.

"Here you are, Kai," her mother said as she came back with the medicine and a glass of water, "drink up and I'll fix you something to eat. You're recital's tomorrow, so why don't you stay home and rest, you've got all your pieces done right?"

Kai made a noise of assent as she downed the pills, "Yeah, I've got them all memorized too," she said, handing her mother the empty glass, "I just need to run over them one more time this evening and then I think I'll be ready for tomorrow."

"Good, well, Kanto starts school late today because it's just the closing ceremony before break starts, so Haruka and I will be taking him in a little bit. I'm sure he'd like you to come, but I don't think you should stress yourself much today."

She nodded, "okay", she replied, slightly disappointed that she'd be missing Kanto's ceremony. Then again, it'd be a good opportunity to think over what had happened last night. After she ate her somewhat late breakfast, she retreated to her bedroom and did just that.

"First things first," she said to herself, taking a sketchbook and pencil from her desk. and drawing a picture of the man. Kai's forte as far as her art went lay in her ability to recreate the images in her head on paper in almost exact replicas. It was the same for the person from last night. She glared down at him and the strange wolf that she'd put beside him, wondering what both of them were. After a few moments, however, she gave up, unable to come with an answer other than what he'd told her himself: he wasn't human.

Kai then proceeded to take out her laptop, researching through all possible variations of Kami and Youkai, Japanese and otherwise, yet she still failed to find a satisfactory match. Sighing in defeat, she switched to more idle practices, including checking her email to find that her favorite author on a story-sharing website had put up a new original fiction. At first, Kai merely skimmed the summary, but read it over again with interest when she realized what it was talking about.

_Humans have remained blind to the presence of faeries for centuries, with only a few being born with the ability to see them and all they do. What will happen when a young man with this power finds himself the key to a conspiracy, one that will alter the fate of human and faerie alike?_

Faeries… she'd hadn't really looked into that probably, mostly because that guy had struck her as more of a demon that any sort of faerie. All the same, she looked through some articles on it and discovered that the author had done research. There were countless sites that described the relationships between faeries and humans over the years as well as they unique ability called the Sight. It said in one article that the Sight existed in one out of every thousand humans.

Despite the uncanny similarity between these accounts and her own situation, Kai still had her doubts. Try as she might, she couldn't bring herself to believe the man was a faerie. He was too… dark, too dangerous to even fall into the darker categories of faeries. Of all things, Kai would probably call him a demon, though even that didn't see to be quite right. She shook her head, annoyed that she still couldn't come up with an answer. Why was this so difficult?

_I suppose you'll just have to go mad with curiosity…_

No, Kai shut down her laptop and walked over to her canvases, determined not to think about it too much. She wasn't going to give the bastard the satisfaction of seeing her obsess over this. Instead, she decided to make the best of it. After all, the sketch she'd done was a pretty good one and it'd be best not to let it go to waste. Still… there was the fact that she currently despised the man in it… well, best not let the wolf go to waste.


	4. Chapter 4

**4**

"Your mission proved fruitful, I hope?" Reiga said as Luze entered his room. The Opast knelt before him, holding out a letter for his inspection.

"I went through the entire box," he said, "this is the only one that's different, the rest are all reaffirmations of love and other such nonsense."

Reiga nodded, taking the letter, "I see," he said, "I take it you've read it?"

Luze nodded, "I had to, it was the only way to sort through them all," he explained, "Though I only really scanned the first couple of words for this one. It was different from the beginning, so I knew it was the one we were searching for."

"I'm not criticizing you," Reiga said, opening the envelope, "it was merely a question." He scanned the letter's contents, his eyes widening as he went on.

_Sayuri,_

_It is my deepest regret to be sending this to you at such a delicate time and I pray that what follows will not affect your health or that of the life you carry inside you. I will first say that I will not be returning to your side again for reasons I am afraid I cannot go into. I know how this may seem, but please don't think for an instant that I have stopped loving you. I want you to have a good life without me, however, and I have enclosed a couple of items to help ensure that, at least for a short time, it will be so._

_The first is a special herbal formula that should help you to deal with the pain of the pregnancy. I've given it to you before, but I urge to keep taking it, for it will make the end a lot easier on you and the baby. As far as our child goes, I included another item that I must insist you treat with the utmost care._

_Again, I cannot got into detail, but please listen to me when I say that our child must where it and never take it off. The baby will never have a chance at a normal life if you don't make sure of this. I know it sounds strange, but as a last favor to me, who has never stopped loving you, please obey this request._

_Eternally Yours,_

_Shou_

"You only read the first few words, Luze?" Reiga asked after a pause.

He nodded, "Yes, my lord," he said.

The necromancer handed him the letter, "Read it in full, and, I repeat my earlier orders, act on its contents as you see fit."

* * *

"You seem really excited about this, Yuki," Touko said with a laugh.

Yuki beamed at her, "Of course! I haven't seen Kai in years!" he said, practically skipping into the auditorium.

"I don't quite see why you're towing us along," Kuroto said in a bored tone, "She's your friend isn't she?" there was some general suspicion that Hotsuma's effeminate comment had not yet been forgotten.

"Don't be a wet blanket, Kuroto," Senshiro said, "I'm sure this will be fun for all of us. And be civil at dinner, alright?"

"You're mothering him again, Senshiro," Shuusei said calmly, "you know he hates that."

"Honestly, he's not that much younger than us," Hotsuma said.

"At least he acts his age," Tsukumo said, "unlike a certain, fiery-haired teenager I know."

"What was that?" Hotsuma growled.

"If you let him goad you," Luka said coolly, "you're telling him he's right."

The Zweilt opened his mouth, but his retort was silenced by someone calling out to them.

"You must be Yuki!" the man was tall, probably in his early forties, with a young boy who was most likely his son trotting alongside him, He held out his hand to Yuki, a friendly smile on his lips, "Nice to meet you, I'm Kirihara Haruka, Kai's step-father. The shy one here is my boy, Kanto. Go on, say hello."

"Hiya," the boy said with a grin.

Yuki smiled, "It's pleasure to meet you," he said, "I'm Giou Yuki and these are my cousins." He gestured at Touko and Tsukumo.

"I'm Murasame Touko," she said with a smiled, "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Likewise," Tsukumo said, shaking the man's hand, "I'm Touko's brother, Murasame Tsukumo."

"The rest of us are family friends," Senshiro said, "I'm Furuori Senshiro and the antisocial one here is Horai Kuroto."

"The famous shogi prodigy?" Haruka asked, "That's impressive," he continued as the Kuroto nodded, "I've never played shogi myself, never had time for it."

"It's not terribly engaging," Kuroto said dismissively, "It's why I left the competitive lifestyle. I got bored."

"Well then, onto the others," Senshiro said quickly, trying to disengage the taken aback look on Haruka's face.

"I'm Usui Shuusei," Shuusei said, taking the hint, "don't mind Kuroto's attitude, it's just how he is."

"Yeah, he's really a good kid, he just doesn't like to show it," Hotsuma said, "I'm Renjou Hotsuma, by the way."

"Ah, I see," Haruka said, smiling again, "It's a pleasure to meet you two as well."

"Last but not least," Yuki gestured to Luka, "This is Luka…Cross," he hesitated as he came with the surname on the spot, "He's a really good friend of mine."

Kanto tugged on his father's sleeve, "Dad, he looks like that man with the dog."

Haruka blinked, "Sure enough, he does," he said, "Luka, do you know someone named Yura?"

Luka raised an eyebrow, "No, I don't," he said, "Why do you ask?"

He shook his head, "It's nothing, you just look uncannily like a man we met downtown the other day. I'm probably just seeing things anyway, though, comes with age, after all." He nodded towards the row of chairs next to them, "Shall we take our seats? I expect it'll be starting soon."

They sat down and, sure enough, the lights dimmed a moment later. After a moment's pause, Yuki whispered, "Mr. Kirihara, where's Kai's mother?"

"She's sitting in the back," Haruka explained, "She's leaving right after Kai performs so she can make preparations for dinner. Kanto and I are leaving too so you and Kai can have some catch-up time after the program is over."

The curtains rose and one after another, young men and women, all of whom seemed to be at the university level, came out and played their own original compositions. Some were very good, while others were rather crude and repetitive, but it was enjoyable all the same.

Kai was the ninth performer to come out and Yuki found himself staring as she walked onstage. She had grown taller, of course, and she had certainly been pretty when they were younger, but her beauty seemed to have flourished in their time apart. Her hair, which used to hang just below her shoulders, was down by her hips now, though she still had the same habit of keeping her bangs over her left eye. Her low heels clacked softly on the lacquer surface of the stage, so light were her steps, and her sleeveless dress fluttered lightly as she walked, accentuating her long legs. Even from where he sat, Yuki could see that she was still wearing the necklace she'd worn from their childhood.

She sat down at the piano, gracefully placing her hands on the keys, and began to play. Yuki thought he'd remembered how good she was when they were kids, but even that was nothing to way she was playing now. Her hands practically danced her way across the keys, the melodies she produced so enchanting they even seemed to have drawn Luka in. Yuki glanced over to see the Duras, who had previously been looking rather bored, sit up a little straighter and concentrate on the young woman before them.

Her second piece was faster than the first, yet it was just as alluring. Yuki watch in amazement as Kai's hand's flew across the ivory, not making one mistake. He supposed this was why people said practice makes perfect. After all, from what Kai had told him, she'd been working on these pieces for months, it was only natural that she'd be this good.

She finished her third piece, bowing to enthusiastic applause, and left the stage. After she was gone, Haruka and Kanto bid their goodbyes and left the auditorium. Yuki and the others stayed for the last half of the performance and waited for Kai after it was over. As they waited, Hotsuma yawned loudly.

"That was possibly the most boring thing on the planet," he said, "The only good ones were two, four, five, nine, twelve, and seventeen, the others were either average or complete crap."

"Yes, because you know so much about music, Hotsuma," Kuroto said cynically, "and we should all bear witness as you divulge upon the finer points of crescendo and staccato."

"What and what? Are you making fun of me?" Hotsuma growled.

"Calm down, Hotsuma," Shuuhei said, putting a hand on his partner's shoulder, "I don't want to have to extricate you from another wall."

"The punk's making up words to mock me, have I no right to be angry?" Hotsuma demanded heatedly.

"Actually, you don't," an amused voice said, "Crescendo and Staccato are musical terms. Crescendo is when you gradually make your music louder and Staccato is the when you quickly press each key like your fingers were bouncing on it."

Yuki smiled as the Kai came down the steps towards them. She had changed out of her dress into a black tank top and jeans, and her heels had been replaced by a pair of well worn, yet also well kept, black boots. She'd also swept her hair back into a high ponytail that swayed as she walked.

"Kai!" he said as she made it to them. He ran over to greet her, but stopped short when he got a closer look at the large bruise that extended around her neck. He took a step back, "Kai…"

"What?" she asked worriedly, "Is something wrong?"

"You're… you're neck," Yuki said, "What happened?"

Her eyes widened suddenly as she clapped a hand to it, "You… you can see it?" she asked in amazement.

"We all can," Touko said as she and the others approached, "It looks awful, how did you get hurt like that?"

Kai didn't look at them , choosing to focus on the ground instead, "It's… I can't, you're not going to believe me."

"Trust us, there isn't much you can tell us that we won't believe," Kuroto said.

"Even so…" Kai shook her head, "Look, it's over and done with and I'd rather not dwell on it." She took Yuki's hand, "The important thing is that you're here and we haven't seen each other in ages. I'm fine, okay? Let's just get outside and enjoy the fresh air."

Yuki nodded hesitantly, but let her pull him out of the building all the same. Once they had walked a little ways and entered a nearby park, they all sat down on the grass. Kai nudged Yuki playfully after a moment.

"You going to introduce your friends to me or what?" she said with a grin. Yuki couldn't help but smile back, she just seemed so much like the kid he'd know in middle school.

He let out an apologetic laugh, "Right," he said, "Well these two are my cousins, Murasame Touko and Musamae Tsukumo. The other five are good family friends, Horai Kuroto, Furouri Senshiro, Usui Shuusei, Renjou Hotsuma, and a very close friend of my own, Luka Cross."

"Nice to meet you all," Kai said with a smile, though Yuki thought her eyes lingered dangerously on Luka for a moment, but it happened so quickly he thought he must have imagined it, "I'm Kirihara Kaida, but, as you've heard Yuki say it, please call me Kai, I prefer to be known by that name anyway."

"As much as you did not want to embark on the subject," Senshiro said, "I think we'd all like to know how you managed to get on the bad side of a Duras to the point where he'd try and strangle you."

"So it was a Duras!" Touko said.

"I thought as much when she was surprised that Yuki could see it," Tsukumo said, "Normal humans can't see Duras or the wounds the inflict."

"But you're not exactly normal, are you?" Luka said coolly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hope you're all enjoying it! Thanks for the kind reviews and I'm sorry that I didn't post ANs in the previous chapter (kinda tired, so I forgot)**

**5**

Luze stepped silently into upper floor of house, knowing full well that no one, except for the girl of course, would sense him. He found what he assumed was her room, noting that it was completely unoccupied. He took his time to look around a bit and get to know who might possibly become his opponent soon enough.

The room was neatly kept. All the furniture was made of black mahogany, including the easel that stood near the window. After a second glance, he approached it, an amused grin on his face as he stroked the wolf at his side.

"She captured you quite nicely, didn't she, Fen?" he said, scratching his familiar behind the ears. As he looked around, he noticed that all her canvases were beautifully done, obviously a trait she'd inherited from Shouyomi, who'd often work on his own paintings during his down time. Luze even recognized one of the man's works, depicting his silver lupine familiar, Rae, hanging on the wall.

Apart from the paintings, Luze saw numerous sketchbooks and drawing technique books in the low bookcase that stood near the desk. On the desk itself stood a sleek black object that he believed was called a laptop. He touched track-pad, lighting it up to reveal an essay of some sort in a language he recognized to be English. Luze mentally smacked himself for not noticing the rather sizable English textbook sitting next to the electronic device.

"An artistic musician who's learning English," he said to himself, "Not much of a combat type, is she, Fen? We'll have to fix that, won't we?"

At the sound of footsteps, Luze looked up sharply to see the young boy, Kanto, enter the room with a pile of what he assumed to be Kai's laundry. That also brought the question of 'Where the hell was the allusive girl anyway?' to mind.

"Mom!" Kanto shouted from the room, "can I take up a martial art?"

"Why? You're so good at soccer," Sayuri called.

"Atsuki said it's way more useful if you live in Osaka like we do," Kanto replied.

"If Atsuki told you that jumping off a bridge was useful, would you ask me to let you do it?"

"Mom!"

"I'm not paying for lessons right off the bat. Ask your sister to teach you some of the stuff she picked up while she was at that martial arts camp the other year, then we'll decide, alright?"

"But I want to take Kendo!"

"She dabbled in that too! And besides, Aikido, Karate, and Judo are much more useful, what makes you think you'll be carrying a shinai everywhere? Kai learned a bunch of basics at that camp and I'm sure she hasn't forgotten them, good lord knows I've seen her practicing them enough. Ask her tomorrow when she gets back from seeing her friends off."

"Okay!"

"Well, Fen," Luze said as the boy ran out of the room, "maybe we don't have as much to work on as I'd thought."

* * *

Kai looked at the man in surprise, but not without suspicion as well. He looked so much like the man, or Duras as they were calling him now, that had attacked her that she thought they were the same person. However, given that he was with Yuki, he must not really be an enemy. All the same, Kai really didn't know how to proceed with this conversation. Luckily, Luka seemed to be carrying it on just fine on his own.

"I noticed it when you walked onto the stage," he said, "You're not like others of your kind. The only thing is that I can't tell what you are, to be exact. You're not a Zweilt like these four," he gestured to Yuki's cousins and friends, "nor are you a necromancer like Reiga or a guardian like Takashiro, nor are you like Yuki."

"So where does that leave us?" Hotsuma asked, "I'm just as stumped as you are!"

"And I'm afraid I can't tell you anything beyond the fact that I've always been like this," Kai said with a sigh, leaning back against a tree, "I bet it was something I got from my birth dad. Considering how little I know about him, it seems the most likely cause. They also say illegitimate children develop in weird ways."

"I thought your birth father divorced your mother years ago," Yuki said, "how are you an illegitimate child?"

"I lied to you about that, Yuki," Kai said, "you think I wanted it to be common knowledge? My mother was madly in love with some guy name Shou a little over twenty years ago. They dated for about three years before getting really serious, that's how I came about. But then the asshole disappeared while my mom was still pregnant. They had intended to marry, but he abandoned her." She glared at the ground, "I think you can guess why I never told you, it's not exactly a pretty story."

"That's… that's awful," Touko said. She turned to Luka, "Can tragedy or shock or things like that give people the power to see Duras?"

He shook his head, "A Duras can only be seen by the gifted, or those they possess," he said, "and the gift isn't something that's just acquired through bad events; and all the Zweilts have been born. I know there's still a couple yet to be located, but that's not the aura I get from her, so there's no solution there either."

"Apart from my seemingly strange predicament," Kai said, turning to her friend, "What the hell did you get mixed up in, Kohai?"

The corner of Yuki's mouth twitched at the old nickname, "I'm not really supposed to explain," he said, "But the short of it is that we're at war with the Duras, who want to either destroy the human race. The only who's different is Luka here, who defected to fight for our side. Touko and the others are Zweilts, people born to fight Duras. Of Luka hadn't said what he just did, I would have pinned you as a Zweilt too."

Kai glared at Luka, who raised an eyebrow questioningly. She sighed before speaking again, "I don't really understand it all, but on another note, I have to ask. Is Luka here bipolar, or does he have an evil twin?"

"He has a younger twin brother," Yuki said, surprise evident in his face, "Why do you ask?"

"Does he have a giant wolf-like think that follows him around?" Kai asked, this time directly to Luka, "A big, hulking black thing?"

"He doesn't usually bring Fen with him unless it's a solo mission," Luka said, then blinked, "Wait, did Luze attack you?"

Kai laughed mirthlessly, "Luze, the Duras," she said, bitter amusement on her face, "and he said I'd go mad with curiousity." She focused back on the group, "The night before last, he came to my house while my family went out to dinner. I'd stayed behind to finish up my third piece for today and fell asleep, then I woke up and noticed that he'd somehow gotten in my house. He knew about my mom's relationship with Shou somehow and asked me where she was hiding the love letters he'd sent her. He basically threatened me and my family until I told him everything I knew, which was basically that she'd burned them around a month ago. He did some weird incantation thing in a language I didn't understand and in the end he left this bruise as a nice parting gift."

"Do you have any idea why he might have done all that?" Yuki asked Luka, "It seems… just so random…"

"Jealous lover?" Hotsuma threw out nonchalantly.

"Luze isn't immature like that," Luka said, "He can be sadistic, it's true, but he's not the type to even fall for a human, let alone avenge himself on one." He shook his head, "Odds are that Reiga had something to do with it, but I can't think of a reason for him to be involved either."

Kai sighed, "Well, I've got the general idea," she said, "there's no point pursuing the topic further as it is." She shrugged, "At any rate, we've certainly got time to kill. What have you been up to, Yuki? Well, other than getting involved with these Duras that I keep hearing about."

"Well, I told you I was adopted," Yuki said, "I'm attending a new school and everything. It's really nice, I didn't know academies could be so big!"

"Wait until you get to college," Kai said with a laugh, "the campus I'm on now is so big that the professors have taken to assigning escorts to take the freshman to class."

"Really? That's hilarious," Touko said, "what university are you attending?"

"Osaka University," she replied, "Not much of a title, but we've got one hell of a Kendo team."

"Are you apart of it?" Hotsuma asked.

"No, I went to a martial arts camp around three years ago, but I really just know some basics," Kai said, "I prefer to devote my time to more artistic pursuits."

"That's right, Yuki told us you paint," Senshiro said, "what medium do you use?"

"I prefer oil and watercolors," Kai said, "much more wieldy than acrylics."

"Are you a fan of Picasso and his contemporaries?"

"No, I'm more for Degas," from there they launched into an in-depth conversation concerning various artists and stylistic preferences. It came to an abrupt end when Kuroto smacked Senshiro over the head just as he was about to go into a long-winded spiel regarding the finer points of brush care.

"You're talking her ear off, Senshiro!" he said, "Nobody cares about all that except you!"

"I find it quite interesting actually," Kai said with a smile, "I don't get to have these conversations at the university very often."

"You don't?" Shuusei asked in surprise, "But Osaka University has a rather large artistic student body, doesn't it?"

"True, but I don't really associate with them," Kai said, "As we've already discussed, I'm not exactly normal, and people tend to stay away from me. I don't really mind, though, seeing as I quite enjoy the life of a solitary artist."

"It's true, you've always kept to yourself," Yuki said with a sad smile, "but, I'd honestly hoped that you'd have changed in these past few years. I mean… isn't it lonely, not having anyone to be close to?"

Her face fell, "Yuki… to be honest, I…" she trailed off and sprang to her feet, whipping her head around widely, searching for it, for him.

"What is it?" Yuki asked, jumping up shortly after the others, who were also looking around. Kai wasn't entirely surprised they'd sensed him too, but she still insisted on taking a step ahead of them, despite Senshiro's protestations.

"Are you crazy?" he said, grabbing her by the arm, "You'll get yourself killed if you fight him!"

"I have no intention of killing her, so your words are necessary," an all too familiar voice drawled as an all too familiar figure strode into the park. In the short time since Kai had first sensed him, the other sparse occupants of the area seemed to have disappeared.

"Thank you for putting up a barrier, Shuusei," Tsukumo said.

"It was a smart move," Kuroto agreed.

"Yeah," Hotsuma said, "I doubt fighting with an Opast out in the open would be a good move."


	6. Chapter 6

**Woah, look at that, three chapters in a row! XD the sad part about this is that I'm already commencing chapter 13. Being in Japan makes is a little difficult to update as often as I want, but at least I try, right? Anyways, enjoy!**

**6**

"Opast?" Kai said, looking at Yuki with confusion.

He nodded, "The highest level of Duras," he explained, "There are two lower categories, with Nidatorehi as the lowest and Mid-Villain as the middle rank. The Opast are basically their leaders, however, they themselves are ruled by..."

"What are you doing here?" Luka demanded, "I thought you had become Reiga's right hand, Luze, why would he send you out to the human world?"

Luze sighed, "Accusing your other half is shameful, brother," he said, walking forward casually, as though it was perfectly normal for him to be there. When he was only about two yards away, he finally spoke again, "Lord Reiga," he began, putting emphasis on the title, "sent me on a rather important collection mission."

"Are you here for Yuki?" Touko demanded.

"Not today, though I have know idea why Lord Reiga is delaying on such a matter." The Duras said dismissively, "No, I'm here for the great Shouyomi's legacy."

"Shouyomi already had a son," Luka said, "he took over when Shouyomi himself was killed."

Luze let out a low, mirthless laugh, "You have no idea was the great Kurakage Shouyomi was executed, do you? Although, I suppose I shouldn't act all high and might, considering I only found out the truth myself just last week."

"What are you talking about?" Luka asked, a hint of trepidation in his voice.

"It was an innocent thing, never meant to have any large impact on his life," Luze said, "but he made a rather large mistake," he fixed his eyes on Kai, "he fell in love. Not only that, he let that love cloud his judgment and that is how the dark-haired young woman standing behind you came into being."

All eyes flew to Kai, who was just as shocked as the rest of them. Even Yuki was staring at her in shock and disbelief, which made her round on the one person observing the scene with an impassive expression.

"How do you know this?" she demanded, "Can you prove that my father and this… this Shouyomi person are the same?"

"I can," the Opast said candidly. He withdrew from his pocket one of the love letters along with some sort of black fabric. He held up the envelope so the seal was visible to them, "This," he said, "I'm sure you've seen before." He then unrolled the cloth, "And this particular item was once part of the sheath that held Shouyomi's sword, Desiree."

Kai swallowed thickly as she saw the exact same seal from the letter embroidered on the cloth. Her heart plummeted further as she saw the expression of utter shock and amazement on Luka's face, her own going pale with the horrible realization that the man before her was…

"As you can see, I'm not lying," Luze said, tucking the items away again, "You could see for yourself, couldn't you, brother?"

Luka shook his head, "It just doesn't seem possible," he said, "but… there's no mistaking it…"

"Wait!" Yuki cried as Luze took another step toward Kai. He looked frantically at Luka, "You're not going to let him do this, are you? Kai's father may have been a Duras, but she's lived as a human!"

"A problem that can easily be remedied, once she's lived with us for long enough," Luze said simply.

That was it, Kai had had enough, "Don't act all cocky," she said, glaring venomously at the Duras, "I'm not going with you regardless of who my father was. If you plan on taking me by force, I'll fight you. I think you'll find I won't be caught off guard so easily this time."

"You'll have to go through us as well," Tsukumo said, drawing his gun, "any friend of Yuki's is a friend of ours, Duras or otherwise."

"Our numbers far exceed yours as well," Shuusei said, "Do you really intend to go up against all of us?"

"Did you honestly think I'd come alone when there was the possibility of Shouyomi's blood awakening in her?" Luze replied with a smirk, "even I don't know what will happen if she suddenly changes." He snapped his fingers, two more figures suddenly appearing by his side, "They got into the barrier just before you finished it."

"It's been a while since we fought," the silver-haired woman said teasingly, "I've missed you, my darling Luka."

"Elegy," Luka growled, his expression darkening.

"Have either of you improved since your last pathetic attempt to kill me?" the redheaded man asked, casting mocking glances at Senshiro and Kuroto.

"CADENZA!" the latter roared, drawing a black katana seemingly from thin air.

"Don't assume we haven't been honing our skills since last time," Senshiro said, removing his glasses. Kai was amazed at how drastically his kindly demeanor had shifted. His expression was livid as the large brush that had materialized in his hand shifted into an ornate scythe. In fact, as Kai looked around, she noticed that the others, save Yuki, all had impressive weapons. Luka wielded his black sword like it was another part of his body. Touko had an enormous sword and Kai was unable to fathom how she could possibly lift it with such ease. Hotsuma had a curved, jagged blade of some sort and Shuusei had several glowing blue orbs floating about him, a thin sword in each hand.

"Stay back, Kai," Yuki said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "it's best if we don't get too involved with the fighting."

Kai nodded, stepping back to stay beside him and watching as her friend pulled out a black puff ball from his jacket. She gaped as it suddenly transformed into a huge wolf, not too unlike the one she'd seen when Luze had broken into her house the other night. She swallowed again, the clash of such powerful opponents threatening to overwhelm her. At the same time though, to her own surprise, the prospect of battle excited her. The prospect of the pain, the prospect of the kill, the prospect of the blood…

She shook herself mentally, telling herself to snap out of it. Since when did she have those thoughts? She'd never felt this way about fighting before, let alone actually KILLING someone.

_Instincts._

Kai stiffened. No, her first instinct wasn't to kill, wasn't to shed blood. She wasn't put on this earth to end lives.

_Such humane thoughts… and yet… you're not human, now are you?_

Touko's cry of pain jolted Kai out of her internal war just in time for her to see Yuki's cousin thrown against a tree. The bark cracked with a sickening crunch as Touko fell to the ground limp. Kai watched helplessly as Tsukumo let out a roar of anger, lunging at Luze, who had done the damage, only to find himself attacked by the Duras's lupine companion. The resulting blood crashed on Kai's senses like stormy waves on a beach. All the battles had spilt a generous amount of the liquid and the intermixing scents were driving Kai to the verge of insanity.

_You want it, don't you? You want to be the one spilling the blood, you want to be the one killing, you do…_

"Shut. Up." Kai snarled, clutching her head and screwing her eyes shut as she sank to her knees, the rising pain threatening to split her skull in two. The bruise around her neck was throbbing erratically.

"Kai!" Yuki cried, kneeling beside her, "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, unable to speak from the throbbing of the bruise. She clenched her jaw so as not to cry out from the pain of it all.

_You want to do it, you want to hurt him, kill the one who put that blemish on your neck… you want it…_

NO!

_YOU WANT IT!_

"GET BACK, YUKI!" Kai screamed, shoving the bewildered boy away from her before doubling over completely, writhing with pain. It felt as though her entire body was being sliced from the inside with millions of tiny blades while her skin felt like it was being licked by innumerable tongues of flame.

"KAI!" Yuki was beside her again. He placed his hands on her, but jumped back with a cry of pain a moment later.

"YUKI!" Kai cried, gazing in horror at the burns on his hands. She tried to sit up, but the pain was too intense, she felt like she was going to die right then and there. In fact, she wanted to die, wanted to put an end to this seemingly ceaseless feeling of agony.

Next thing she knew, Luze was upon her, having broken through Hotsuma and Shuuhei. He didn't attack her like she'd expected, but stepped behind her, shooting his hand down and unclasping the choker from her throat. Kai watched in shock as it fell to the ground before her, the once blood red stone now a blue so dark is was almost black.

Almost immediately, the pain intensified, but for a mercifully short moment. Kai breathed heavily as it passed, both unwilling and unable to sit up. She sat there, hugging herself, but it was only a few seconds before something surged through her again. She didn't know what it was, but in raged through her body like an angry serpent, threatening to destroy her from the inside out. She threw her head back, arching her spine, clutching her head and letting out such a powerful scream that it felt as though her throat might tear.

A strange blue-tinted black substance suddenly erupted around her, driving Luze back while Luka jumped in a pulled a panic-stricken Yuki away from her. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she felt she might drown in the pain.

_Just give in…_

She closed her eyes, letting herself slip into darkness, into her most basic self. She handed her conscious over to her instincts.

A cry of startled agony awoke her all too soon, but Kai soon found herself gaping at the scene before her. Blood permeated her senses again as she saw the crumpled form of Luze lying against a tree. The crimson liquid streamed down his chest and his cap had fallen off at some point, yet, despite his hazardous state, he laughed.

"Such power," he said, standing shakily, "Lord Reiga will be pleased." He gazed at something behind her, "Luka, do you perhaps still have some love left for our clan? If you hadn't restrained her, I most certainly would have died."

Kai flinched as someone coughed behind her, letting flecks of blood fall on her cheek. She looked up to find that Luka had her in a vice-like grip, his arms bloody from the deep cuts that spread across his skin. It was then that it hit her like a blow to the chest: this was all her doing. She looked back up at Luka again apologetically, breaking away from him quickly.

"I-I'm sorry," she said, shaking in both fear and horror at what she had done, "I- I don't know what…" she couldn't say it, not least because there was a part of her that had _enjoyed_ the chaos she'd caused.

"Training this one will be fun," the man called Cadenza said as he sauntered over to Luze, "Her instincts are already honed to perfection, all that's left is teach her how to control them."

"Like you'll be the one to handle her education," the woman, Elegy, scoffed, "She'd do much better with a feminine role model."

"NO!" Kai shouted before she could stop herself. She ran a hand over her face in frustration, noting that she'd lost her hair tie at some point. "N- no," she repeated, focusing on the ground like it was the only thing keeping her sane at the moment, "I don't… don't want to do that…never again… I can't… can't hurt people like that… not again…"

"Don't sell yourself short, darling!" Elegy cried happily. How could she act like this was such a good thing?

"To think you'd actually be able to handle Shouyomi's power in full," Luze said with another weak laugh, "Though if I hadn't rid you of his seal, you would have probably died."

"There's going to be a ton of controversy over this," Cadenza said, "for all we know, Masa himself will question her legitimacy as a part of the Kurakage clan."

"That issue isn't even worth discussing," Luka said finally, "considering I'm not about to let you take her to Reiga."

"You can't take her to Takashiro, Luka," Luze said, sinking back down to the ground, "I highly doubt he'll take in another Opast, you're a very rare exception and we all know why that is."

"There isn't much you can do to stop me," Luka said firmly, "Neither can either of you, Elegy, Cadenza."

He was right, the two of them were obviously exhausted from fighting. There was also the fact that Kai had nearly killed Luze by the looks of things. However, it seemed Luka's twin had a prudent head on his shoulders, as he said, "You win this round, Brother. I only pray you make a decent tutor."

Cadenza rounded on him, "We're pulling out?" he asked incredulously, cursing as Luze nodded, "Fine, it's no fun when the target is as helpless as a puppy anyway."

Kai didn't seem them leave, her head had been spinning to the point where she welcomed Luka's presence as he caught her unconscious form.


	7. Chapter 7

**Enjoy! Just so ya know, I've finished the story, just have to post it all. I could be really mean and make you all wait a ridiculously long time, but I'll decide later. Anyway, it took an interesting turn that I wasn't planning on, but I love it all the same and I hope you will too.**

"You should seriously consider moving as well."

Kai awoke to find herself in her own bed, Yuki's head resting on the edge of the mattress. It was obvious that he'd been there a while, for he was fast asleep, his shoulders rising and falling gently. She ran her hand over her face, curling her fingers in her bangs and pressing the heel of her palm into her aching forehead. Muffled voices reached her ears and she stopped moving to listen.

"You really had no idea?" an unfamiliar voice was asking.

"No," he mother was speaking now, "he went away a lot, it was true, but he always told me it was for business."

Kai's heart sank, they were talking about her father. Careful not to wake Yuki, she slipped off the bed and crept downstairs. With catlike softness, she stood silently in the hallway and listened to their conversation.

"I'm sorry, but I'm have a rather hard time believing all this," Haruka said, skepticism weighing heavily on his voice, "You bring my step-daughter here, unconscious and injured, and then expect me to believe some cock-and-bull story about demons? You're out of your mind!"

The unfamiliar man that Kai had heard let out a sigh, "I know it seems fantastical, but I assure, Duras exist, and your daughter has been attacked twice by them. You're very lucky that Luka and the others were there, otherwise the Duras who attacked your daughter a few nights ago would have made sure you never saw her again."

"I still don't quite understand why that is," Kai's mother's voice broke in, "You're telling me that Shou was a Duras as well, but I can assure you that Kai is one hundred percent human. Not once has she displayed any hint of the powers you've been describing to us."

"The necklace she wears," Luka's voice cut in, but stopped abruptly, "if a conversation is about you, you have a right to hear it. Stop lingering out in the hallway and come in."

Kai swallowed thickly, walking awkwardly into the room to find her mother, Haruka, Luka, and a man she'd never seen before sitting before her. Her mother rose, enveloping her in a tight hug, on the verge of tears.

"Oh, Kai," she said, bringing her over to sit on the couch, "I was so… so worried about you."

Kai put a hand on her shoulder, "I'm alright, mother," she said gently, "I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Stop apologizing!" Kai jumped at her mother's sudden outburst. The older woman held her head in her hands, sobbing angrily, "I tried so hard, so hard to get him out of you, to make you my child, but you, too much you, IT'S ALL HIM!" she enveloped the bewildered young woman in a possessive embrace, "And now, because of him, these people are trying to take you away!"

Kai looked up sharply, "What?" she said, looking pointedly at Luka, who nodded.

"You can't stay here as long as Luze knows where you live," he said, "none of you can. There's also the fact that your father's protective seal won't suppress your powers anymore." He nodded at the necklace around her throat, "I replaced it after you fell unconscious, it's the only thing preventing you from loosing control again right now."

"Exactly," the unfamiliar man said, standing up from his chair. He smiled gently at her, extending his hand, "My name is Giou Takashiro," he said, "I'm Yuki's current guardian."

Kai edged out of her mother's grip to shake the proffered limb, "Kirihara Kai, but I guess you knew that," she said, "what's this about a protective seal?"

"That necklace you wear has been restraining the awesome powers you unleashed yesterday for the past nineteen years," Takashiro said, "but now that you have changed, it won't do so any longer. The only solution at this point is for you to come move in with Yuki and myself, where you will be trained to control your abilities. Luka here has graciously agreed to be your tutor. Actually, to be honest, he's the best tutor available to you at the moment, not to mention the only one who wouldn't try and take you to Reiga."

"I've been hearing that name a lot," Kai said wearily, "who is this Reiga person exactly?"

"A necromancer who currently holds sway over all the Duras, with you and Luka being exceptions, of course," Takashiro explained. At Kai's shocked expression, he continued, "I'm afraid you can no longer go back to your life as a university student. The blood of an Opast runs through your veins, Kai, there was no hope for your human side to resist once that seal was removed. In short, you're a Duras now, there's no avoiding it."

"You may not have really noticed yet, but your appearance has begun to change as well," Luka said, "Your eyes are already starting to change color, they're lighter than when we first met you."

"Kaida, look at me," Haruka said, gaping at her as she turned toward him, "Damn, he's right," he said finally, glaring over at Takashiro, "I guess I have no choice but to believe you," he growled, "but even so, why should I let you take my child away?"

"It won't be without compensation, and you will be allowed to visit her," Takashiro said, "but I'm afraid that we'll have more events like the one from yesterday if we let her stay here. An Opast who can't control their powers is more dangerous than any other disaster you can think of," he continued, "If you don't let me teach her, her mind will slowly succumb to the feral instincts that reside within every type of Duras, devolving her into little more than an animal. If that happens, she'll destroy everything until she destroys herself… or someone destroys her." He looked seriously at Kai, "I assume you remember what your momentary lapse of control caused."

Kai swallowed thickly, knowing full well what he meant, "I-I know," she said, looking up at Luka sheepishly, "I'm sorry too, I know he's your brother and all…"

"I couldn't give a damn over whether or not Luze dies," Luka said harshly, "but I'd prefer to lose him in a fair fight, not to the mindless ferocity of an awakening Opast."

"Enough! I still object!" Kai felt her mother's hand shaking on her shoulders, "What about college? I don't my little girl sacrificing her education to go gallivanting off to fight demons."

"Tokyo has excellent universities," Takashiro said; Kai could tell he was determined to win this battle, "The one nearest where she'll be living has an excellent fine arts program as well. It only takes a phone call from me to get it all arranged."

"NO!" Kai stared as her mother practically shrieked at the man, "I ABSOLUTELY REFUSE TO LET YOU TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME!"

"It's not your decision, mother," Kai said quietly.

"YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS, KAIDA!"

"I am," she said, refusing to raise her own voice. She stood, breaking away from her mother's touch, "Luka's right, I can't stay here, not without knowing that I definitely won't loose myself. You weren't there yesterday, you don't know how bad the damage was. If Luka hadn't stepped in I would have killed someone, KILLED, Mother! I don't want that to happen to anyone, not you, not Kanto, not Haruka, no one."

"But-!"

"Sayuri," Haruka said gently, "If Kai's making the choice, there's no need to object, is there? It doesn't seem like we can stop this from happening no matter what we do. Besides, Kai's nineteen, almost legal, she can certainly make her own decisions for herself."

"I did also mention the wisdom in moving," Takashiro said, "I can set you both up with jobs and your son a place in a school in Tokyo, if you'd like. However, I'm afraid you cannot live very close at all, given that the whereabouts of the Giou property are supposed to remain secret."

"I think that would be a good idea," Kai said, smiling gently at her mother, "I don't want Luze coming back here and hurt you, can't you at least agree to this arrangement? He already said you can visit too."

Her mother sighed, "At this point, I don't think I have a choice," she said bitterly. She stood abruptly, "I have to go pick up Kanto from his friend's house, don't leave until he gets a chance to say goodbye."

"Of course," Takashiro said, "in the meantime, Kai, please pack your things. I'll make all necessary transfer arrangements for your family while you do so." He turned to Haruka, "I'll need your help with that, if you don't mind."

Haruka nodded, "Alright."

Kai went back upstairs, Luka following not far behind. Before entering her room, she turned to him, "Luka?"

"Mm?"

"Is there… no way to reverse this?"

He raised an eyebrow, "You can't change your parentage," he said frankly, "so no, you can't what's happening to you."

She sighed, "Just checking," she said as Yuki opened the door with a yawn. She smiled at him, "Guess who's moving in with you, Yuki!"

"You're coming?" He asked in surprise, but he soon looked worried, "are you alright with that?"

Kai smiled sadly, "I can't change this, so I might as well make the best of it," she said, "besides, maybe the new university will give me a better chance to make friends."

"I'm glad you're seeing the bright side," her friend said encouragingly, "I'm sure you'll find it enjoyable." He gestured back into the room, "I'll help you pack, okay?"

"I don't own too much in the way of clothes," Kai said with a laugh, "but my art supplies might end up being a handful."

"Takashiro told Senshiro to get a studio set up for you," Luka said, leaning against the doorframe as Kai dug out a black suitcase, "and he sent something to the university as well… I think he called it a portfolio?"

Kai blinked, then laughed, "he knew he would get his way, didn't he?" she asked, somewhat amused.

"He always does," Luka replied contemptuously.

* * *

"The Crosszeria clan never ceases to amaze me, you actually managed to survive," Reiga said as he approach Luze's bed, taking his seat in a nearby chair as the Duras turned his head to look over at his master.

"Forgive me for not being able to greet you properly, Lord Reiga," He said, his voice hoarse and fatigued from the strength it was taking for his wound to heal.

"There's no need to apologize for something you couldn't avoid," the necromancer said dismissively, "On a related note, I take it the girl is strong?"

"She'll be even stronger once she fully changes into an Opast," Luze replied, "The Kurakage blood runs strong in her veins, it will soon erase any weakness brought on by her human side. Still, there will be those who will contest her legitimacy as a member of the second most power clan of Opasts."

"Indeed, there is also the fact that Zess will be her tutor," Reiga said, "I'll give this matter some thought, but in the meantime, I would like you to rest. I will need you on duty again as soon a possible."

"Yes, my lord," Luze said as the necromancer left. Once he was gone, the Opast turned his head, gazing out of the window, his face pensive. The girl had been strong, doing so much damage in a single blow, however, it wasn't even her full potential and it was that fact that impressed Luze the most. He'd thought, as half-breed, the girl would be severely limited in her ability to access her Duras powers, however, he was dead wrong on both assumptions. She may have been a half-breed at first, but it wouldn't be long before her vile human blood was completely gone from her system. Once that happened, she would be a true Opast, a true member of the Duras race, with power that could very possibly rival his own.

He sighed, moving his eyes to the ceiling, not really looking at the intricate inlay above him. He didn't think leaving this matter to plain thought was a very good idea. Thinking took time, time that would be used to instruct the girl in the ways of control, of skilled combat, and when the time came for them to fight again, there would be a drastic difference in her power. Luze cursed, mentally slapping himself for his fear-mongering. The girl was a child by his standards, no more than a pup, a potentially deadly pup, yes, but a pup nonetheless. Pups required training and training required time.

And time was something he could use to his advantage.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the lateness of the update, been busy with shtuffs. Anyway, the fic is finished, but I'm not going to update it all at once. Hopefully I'll have it all up by December 21st since I leave for X-mas break after that.**

**8**

"You can't be serious," Kai said as the rather large structure came into view, "THIS is where you live now?"

Yuki laughed, "Yes," he said, "This is the Twilight Mansion, home to all the Zweilts as well as Luka, me, and now you!"

"Mansion is an understatement," Kai said with an amused grin, "I can only imagine what it looks like inside."

"Why don't you go in and take a look?" Takashiro said as he opened the door for them, "Kai, your room in on the second floor in the south wing, it's near both Luka's and Yuki's. The Zweilts are in the same area, so I'm sure you'll all become good friends. Yuki, I'm sure you can show her the way."

Yuki nodded, taking Kai up the stairs and down a long hallway, finally ending at the door at the very end. He gestured to it, saying, "Well, it's the only one near both my room and Luka's and I don't think it's occupied, so I guess it's yours."

"We'll know soon enough," Kai said, knocking on the door.

"Ah! You're early!" Senshiro said as he poked his head out of the door. He smiled, "It doesn't matter, though, since I was just doing some final dusting." He opened the door, granting them entrance. As they stepped into the room, Kai couldn't help but stare.

Before her stood a large window that stopped about two and a half feet from the floor otherwise taking up the entirety of that wall. Pushed against it was a large bed with a simple, yet beautiful spread, a clothing chest standing at its foot. At the other end of the window stood an easel and an artist's stool, with a stack of blank canvases as well as most of Kai's completed ones set off to one side. However, the one feature of the room that really caught Kai's attention was the large piano in the center of it. She ran to it, opening the lid and running her hands over the keys excitedly.

"This is amazing!" she cried, eyes shining with happiness, "Is this part of the Steinway Grand series?"

Senshiro nodded, "Yep, one of the older ones, but we were told that the older models are better and more durable than the current ones. I figured you'd know better."

"No, that's actually true!" Kai said jovially, "The one I have at home is a newer model and it doesn't sound as good as the older ones that I've heard at professional concerts." She laughed, "Do I really get to keep this in here? This room is amazing and all, but I feel like I'm getting spoiled to point of insanity!"

Yuki laughed as well, "I did too when I first moved in," he said, "but you get used to it quickly, especially when you realize that everyone lives in this sort of comfort."

"It's true," Senshiro said, "Kuroto and I just moved in about two months ago and our rooms were decorated to fit our personal interests as well. At any rate," he continued, "I'll leave you to unpack, dinner will be ready in about an hour." And then he left.

"We still have some time before dinner," Luka said, sitting on the edge of the bed as Kai stored her suitcase and messenger bag in the closet, having finished packing, "I want to give you some idea of what's coming your way."

She nodded, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, as Yuki took his seat by Luka's side, "I've been rather anxious about that, to be honest," she said with a grimace, "You call your brother a sadist, but I'm thinking that the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree."

"All Duras are sadistic to some degree," Luka said, "It's in our nature, but it's also a trait that, because of your human side, you are fortunate enough to lack. I am not going to sugarcoat it, I will not go easy on you at all in your training. It's important for you to master your powers quickly so you'll be able to defend yourself if Luze comes for you again, an event I have no doubt will occur."

"I understand," Kai said, "but how will this work? I mean, Takashiro enrolled me in college, didn't he?"

Luka nodded, "Fortunately, their break started a week after yours did," he said, "meaning we have about another two to get the basics down. It should be plenty of time, unless you're a complete idiot and, considering you're smarter than that Hostuma brat, I'm sure we'll fine. After the two weeks are up, your training will take place in the evenings after dinner. You should get all your schoolwork done beforehand, since I can guarantee you'll be too tired to do it afterward."

"Right," Kai said, a little daunted by the upcoming training sessions with the Opast, "Hey, on side note, you mentioned that my appearance will continue change until I look completely like an Opast, but how long does that-!" she was cut off as a sudden burning surge through her throat, shooting through her sinuses until it started to affect her eyes. Screwing them shut, she fell to her knees as Yuki cried out.

"It's alright," Luka's voice penetrated through the pain, "It's just the final stage of change, Yuki, she'll be fine."

"But… her eyes are…is that… blood?"

_Blood?_

"It's normal, Yuki," Luka said, "just let it happen, she'll be fine. It should be over soon, anyway."

He was right, the burning stopped a few agonizing moments later. Kai opened her eyes tentatively, wiping away the blood from her face and noting the weird sensation in her mouth.

"Are you alright?" Yuki asked, handing her a wet towel to wipe of the rest of the blood, "You… you're eyes look like Luka's now, they're… really pretty."

Kai blushed, "Thanks," she said, taking the towel. She ran her tongue over her teeth, realizing that the odd sensation had come from the fact that her canines had not only lengthened, but has also become sharper, more feral. As she thought about it, Kai vaguely remembered seeing glimpses of Luka's fangs as they'd talked in the park when she first met him and the Zweilts.

"This is so strange," she said, leaning back against the wall. As Luka stood, she asked, "This is going to sound childish, but… what do Duras… you know…"

"Eat?" Luka finished casually, "Well, Duras are immortal beings that get sustenance from the darkness in humans' hearts. When I was still living under Reiga's command, I often joined in the practice of feeding on the abundant Nidatorehi as well, but that doesn't really matter. To address your real worry, we still eat normal food, for the sake of taste and the added nourishment more than any real need to."

Kai sighed with relief, "Good to know," she said, "I wasn't looking forward to either of the former prospects."

"Human food won't do much for you as you get stronger, though," Luka said warningly, "Whether you like it or not, you will eventually need to resort to taking the blood of Nidatorehi. I'll admit that it's something I do even now, however, one night of hunting every month should be more than enough to keep you healthy."

She nodded, "On the subject of nourishment," she said, standing, "I believe our hour's up," She smiled at Yuki, "Should we head to dinner?"

He nodded, "Yes, I'm sure everyone will be glad to see you again."

Despite what Yuki said, Kai still found herself entering the dining hall with no small degree of apprehension. Sure, she'd met the Zweilt Guardians before, but she was still human back then and they had witnessed her change so quickly afterward… the damage she'd caused… how would they treat her now? Nevertheless, she swallowed nervously, then followed Yuki into the room.

"Yuki! You're back, and Kai's with you!" Touko was the first to spring out of her seat and run over to them. Kai couldn't help but be surprised when the younger teen suddenly hugged her, saying happily, "I'm so glad you're here too! I was worried you wouldn't come!"

"It's good to see you again," Kai said a little breathlessly as Touko released her. She glanced at the others seated at the table, a little taken aback by their kind expressions. She blinked as Hotsuma suddenly let out an snort of annoyance.

"Good lord, do ALL Duras have trust issues?" he asked, leaning back in his chair, "I thought you'd be different, seeing as you've grown up human."

"Tsukumo said it before," Shuusei said with a gentle smile, "Any friend of Yuki's is a friend of ours, Duras or not."

Kai smiled gratefully as she sat in the empty chair next to Yuki, "Thanks," she said. Much to her delight, Kai found that dinner passed amid lively conversations and various jokes, the majority of which were pointed at Hotsuma and Kuroto. As they talked, Kai began to feel that she might actually enjoy living in the Twilight Mansion.

As the final dishes were cleared, Luka stood, "Let's go," he said, nodding towards the door. She followed as he led her outside, Yuki and the others in their wake. This didn't go unnoticed by Luka, who turned to them, annoyance plastered on his face.

"Why the hell are you following?" he demanded, looking pointedly at the Zweilts as they all entered a large clearing.

"I want to see what Duras training is like," Tsukumo said simply.

"We all do," Senshiro said with a smile, "it's a wonderful research opportunity."

"We're not lab rats," Luka growled, "Get out of here before I make you, you're wasting my time."

"Then stop arguing with them," Kai said with a sigh, "it's eight on one, you know you're not going to win."

The Opast let out a noise of frustration but stopped anyway, turning away from the others, pointedly ignoring them, "Alright," he said to Kai, "the first thing we have to do is get you to control of the instinct prominent in every Duras: the desire to kill. I noticed you didn't sleep the entire way here, a wise decision, seeing as you would have been taken over again."

Kai nodded, "I feared as much," she said, "but do you really think we can fix that in one night?"

Luka nodded, "It's an internal battle that I can't really assist you with," he said, "the only thing I can do is give you some coaching before you head off to fight." He turned to Shuusei, "I suppose it's actually good that you came," he said, "I need you to put up a barrier around the two of us. Then I want you and the others to get back into the tree line, got it?"

The brunet nodded, summoning the strange orbs that Kai had seen before. There was shift in the air as the barrier was put into place. She smiled reassuringly at Yuki, who looked worried as he backed into the trees, before turning back to Luka. He motioned for her to sit down, which she did, with her new teacher following suit.

"The most important thing you need to remember," he said, "is the cardinal rule among every Duras, and I don't mean just Opasts, it's true for Nidatorehi and Mid-Villains as well. It's a very simple concept: you must not hesitate. Hesitating is the worst thing you can do in battle and it's the one thing that makes the choice between life and death. In short, if you hesitate, you die. Understood?"

Kai nodded, "No hesitating, got it."

"The second thing," Luka continued, "I already told that once you enter the battlefield, I cannot help you. As such, I will not be there to pull you out if you loose yourself. Thus, the second thing to remember is to keep your mind absolutely clear, you cannot listen to anything your enemy will say, that will result in hesitation, which I already told you will result in…"

"Death," Kai finished, "No hesitating and keep a clear head, is there anything else?"

"Just one more," the Duras said, "this is not just a battle of skill and wits, it's primary focus is on influence. The looser will be forced to submit to the victor for eternity, an inescapable slavery that no one can deliver you from. Do you get it now? If you loose this fight, your instincts will completely overrun your conscious, taking over your body as a result. I will not hesitate to kill you at the first sign of that happening, understand?"

She nodded, swallowing thickly, "How do I start?" she asked.

"It's simple" Luka said, stretching his hand in front of her face, "You sleep."

Kai's body suddenly felt heavy and she couldn't keep her eyes open. However, this time she submitted to the sleeping spell, letting it carry her off to her fight. A moment later, she found herself standing in a ruined castle, a full red moon floating overhead. Around her were strew blades of varying sizes and shapes, all the same deep black hue. Carved in each weapon was some sort of animal, each one different from the last, some grotesque forms that she couldn't even put a name to."

"What is this, is this my subconscious?" Kai wondered allowed. She jumped away quickly as a scythe of compressed wind nearly cut her in half. She gaped at the figure who appeared before her.

"What did you expect?" it asked with a laugh, "I am a part of you, after all."

Kai was looking at herself, but it wasn't completely her. This person had the same long black hair, the same pale skin, the same silver eyes that Kai now bore, she even caught a glimpse of her own fangs as the creature grinned gleefully. However, this Kai had strange, swirling black patterns extending up her arms and from the outer corner of her right eye. Unlike the real Kai, who was wearing her customary tank top and jeans, this one was dressed more sensually that Kai ever thought she'd see herself be. This Kai was dressed in a lacey black corset that exposed her midriff and way too much cleavage. The woman was also sporting tight, ripped black leather pants that were tucked into knee-high combat boots, the chains on which clanked softly as the figure leapt to the ground.

"Who are you?" Kai demanded, taking her stance, ready to dodge another attack.

The figure laughed, "You really are an idiot!" she said, "I'm you of course!"

"No, you're not," Kai said, "I'd never dress like that even if my life depended on it."

The woman glared, "I always hated your simple way of dressing, it's so mundane," she said, tossing her head, "Well, back to the point, I suppose you can just called me your instincts, seeing as how that's just what I am, after all."

"That's not really a name," Kai said with a smirk, "but it's better than nothing." She glared at her instincts, "I suppose you already know the possible outcomes of this battle."

Her instincts grinned, "rest assured, Kai, you will loose" she said, "my powers may be the same as yours, but you have no way to access or control them. Face it, you're helpless in front of me. Especially as I've shifted time here to fall on Walpurgis Night."

"Walpurgis Night?"

"You really don't know anything!" her instincts cried, "it's the night where Duras powers are at their height! I'm at my strongest now, you can't possibly beat me!"

Kai seized the hilt of a katana, the nearest weapon at her disposal, "I won't let you beat me that easily."

"We'll see… after all… can you really kill me?"

She gaped as Kanto was suddenly before her. He glared at her intensely, making her drop the sword in shock and take a step back.

"Why are you here?" she asked, "How… how did you…?"

"Monster."

Kai gaped at him, "Kanto?"

"You're a monster, you're not my sister," he said venomously, "and you're too slow."

She blinked, confused, "What are you…!"

"Too slow," Kai coughed, watching as flecks of blood fell from her lips. Then the pain hit, making her knees shake as she looked down at the blade in her stomach. It was a sleek, black katana, the imprint of a wolf carved into its surface with silver inlay, the same one she'd picked up a moment ago. Kai gripped the hilt as her instincts tried to pull it out, springing away with the sword still in her gut. She leaned against a broken pillar, sliding to the ground in a sitting position.

"Pathetic," her instincts said, looming over her, "you couldn't even make it this far. I can't believe you thought you could beat me! But," her dark form knelt in front of her, seizing Kai roughly by the hair, "You already knew you couldn't do it, didn't you?" she threw her back against the stone, "You're nothing but a half-talent pianist with no career ahead of her, you're no fighter. Face it, you're not a human, not a Duras, you're a HALF-BREED, a half-breed with no hope of ever belonging. You know it, that's why you're in so much pain, YOU'RE A FREAK! Why… why are you laughing?"

Kai shoved her dark half away, drawing the blade from her stomach. She straightened, letting out a slight groan of pain as she did so.

"You're driving yourself to your own death," her instincts said darkly, "you can't possibly do anything with that… kind of… wound…WHAT IS THIS?"

Kai leaned on the katana as her instincts shrieked in agony, blood pouring from a seeming spontaneous gut wound, "Luka told me two very important things before I came here," she said, watching her other half round on her furiously, "he told me not to listen to you, for one, and he told me one other, very crucial thing." She took a step, instantly appearing behind her darker form, raising the blade above the stunned figure, "He told me not to hesitate."

She brought the blade across her dark form's back, drawing an ear-shattering shriek from her. Her instincts sprang away, looking at her venomously, "HOW THE HELL DID YOU DO ALL THIS?" she demanded.

"You said it yourself, you're a part of me," Kai said, wiping the black blood from the blade coolly, "if you can alter time in this dimension, then I should be able to do it with ease. After all, this is _my_ mind we're talking about, isn't it? You're a _part_ of me, yes, but you… are not… ME."

"Still…what did you do? I picked up the sword, I STABBED YOU!"

"Do you know how many times I've had to fend of creepers in the city back in Osaka?" Kai said, "I've pretty much mastered faking out an opponent, not to mention I know how to ignore bating. Thinking on my feet is also something that comes naturally now because of that. As it is, I figured if you could alter time in my subconscious, then I should be able to with ease."

"I-Impossible!"

Kai nodded, "Altering your perception of time was easy enough as well." She slid the katana back into its sheath as her darker half let out a low laugh.

"That sword," her instincts said weakly, "the weapon you use to kill me is the weapon that will be your closest ally in all battles. The insignia on it… is your… partner…"

"This is over," Kai said, preparing to make the final blow.

"I can't… believe… I lost… to such a boring dresser."

"Your power is mine now," Kai said as she brought the blade down sharply, her dark form disappearing in a whirl of shadows.

"You're smarter than I thought," Kai woke with a jolt to find Luka and Yuki sitting by her, the latter looking fretful. She realized that she was in her room, in her bed specifically, with morning sunlight filtering in through the window. She looked at Luka, confused.

"How long have I been out?" she asked wearily, falling back against the pillows again.

"Your break ends the day after tomorrow," Luka said, "I forgot to mention that time passes differently between here and your subconscious."

"Thanks," Kai said sarcastically, "Anyway, where do we go from here?"

"I'll give you today and tomorrow to rest," Luka said, "you took about the average time to defeat your instincts, it's generally a very quick battle, but it's also exhausting. You'll be feeling a little sore too, considering your body will have to get used to all that new power now flowing in your veins." He stood, "Once you start school, we'll begin the real training. For now, get to know your familiar a bit, she looks like she's been waiting for you wake up.

Kai blinked and sat up as a young, snow-white husky hopped lightly onto the bed, sitting and gazing at her with large, dark grey eyes. She stretched a hand forward, stroking the canine's soft fur, noting how it looked more lupine than an actual dog. She let out a small cry of surprise as the animal crawled into her lap, licking her face gently.

"What did you call her?" Kai asked as the creature settled to lying down in her lap, "My familiar?"

Luka nodded, "Familiars are essentially your closest companion and battle partner," he said, "that wolf is connected to you on a whole different level that anyone could ever hope to be. She was born from your soul, so she is a part of you. All you need to do now is give her a name."

Kai thought for a moment before a name came, seemingly out of nowhere, into her head. She looked down at the wolf, wondering if she would like it before saying, "Psyche?"

The wolf nuzzled her happily, obviously accepting the name.

**On a side note, if any of you have questions about Japanese terms or anything else that may show up (I don't remember if they do) feel free to ask.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ladida, I'm not going to be able to finish updating until after January 10th, please don't kill me?**

**9**

Kai awoke to the sound of her alarm clock being destroyed. She sat up quickly to see Psyche glowering at the now completely unrecognizable device.

"Psyche," she groaned, getting out of bed to clean up the mess, "What the hell did you do that for?" She looked accusingly at her familiar, who just wagged her tail innocently, "This is the second one in two days, Psych, and now that I'm starting school, I need to get up on time, you know. That being said, either you stop destroying my alarm clocks or I'm assigning you the duty of getting me up at 6:45 every morning, which I'm pretty sure isn't your purpose for being here."

Psyche just wagged her tail again, waiting patiently as Kai got dressed and swept her hair into a high ponytail. She packed her laptop and her new textbooks into her messenger bag, setting it beside the black hard-case that contained all her art supplies.

"Ready for breakfast?" Kai asked with a yawn as she followed Psyche out of the room.

"Good morning, Kai!" Touko said as they met on the stairs, "are you excited?"

Kai snorted, "College is not my definition of excitement, Touko" she said as they entered the dining room, "It's just a continuation of high school."

"Well, I hope you'll like this university," Takashiro said as they began eating, "It has an excellent arts program."

After breakfast, Kai bid her housemates goodbye and grabbed her jacket and bags before heading out the door. She hesitated as Psyche tried to follow her out the door, looking back at the white wolf guiltily.

"I don't think familiars are allowed on campus, Psych," she said sadly, stroking the wolf's white head apologetically, "I'll be back this evening, though, so can you survive that long without me?"

Psyche latched onto her sleeve and refused to let go. That was certainly enough of a response. Kai sighed, pulling the now damp fabric out of the wolf's mouth.

"Psych, I don't want to leave you behind," she said, "but rules are rules, okay?"

Psyche whined pitifully as Kai made to leave again. A sudden yelp from the animal made Kai turn back, blinking in surprise as she saw Luka carrying the struggling animal back inside under his arm.

"Just go to school," he growled, "Your familiar has to learn to get over her separation anxiety and be patient."

Kai nodded, smiling apologetically at the still struggling wolf as Luka carried her back into the house. After they disappeared, she went to the front entrance where she found Takashiro waiting near a car, one of the back doors open for her.

"You took a little longer than I expected," he said as he slid into the seat next to her, motioning for the young woman in the driver's seat to leave.

"Psyche wasn't too keen on letting me go alone," Kai said with a small laugh, "I'm sorry for making you wait."

He shook his head, "Luka explained familiars to me," he said, "if I remember correctly, he said that they learn to controls their desire to stay close at all times as their master grows stronger. Psyche will learn to let you go once you start getting stronger."

Kai smiled softly, "Luka explained to me as well," she said, "but he said he'd probably be a little harder of her, given the situation. She's too noticeable to be able to follow me around all the time. I don't know how I'd ever explain her presence to my classmates."

"Nervous?"

She laughed, "A little," she admitted, "but it's more my appearance than anything else that's really bothering me. Now that I've really had a chance to look in the mirror, I realize I'm going to stick out more than I'd like."

Takashiro smiled, "Don't worry about it," he reassured her, "It's all part of being a Duras. Luka already explained it to you, I'm sure, but the appearance of an Opast is a lure they use to attract human prey." He looked at her seriously, "I want you to watch yourself, Kai, more for your sake than the humans around you. You'll attract attention you may not want and I just want you to be careful."

Kai blinked, realizing what he meant, "You seem to have forgotten that I used to live in Osaka, Takashiro," she said, an amused grin on her face.

It was his turn to laugh, "True," he said, "but still, be careful."

Kai nodded as they pulled into the campus, sighing as the students stared at the passing car. Of course they would, she thought, wishing that Takashiro hadn't chosen his black car. It was a rather new purchase from the Honda Vault series, a group of well-made, not to mention very expensive, cars, it was practically designed to catch others' attention. There was also the fact that it was obviously being driven by a chauffer, something that couldn't possibly be missed by the curious eyes trying to catch sight of the car's other occupants.

She was grateful when they pulled into a back parking lot, away from the flow of students who were already off to their morning classes. As they got out and headed towards the main office, Kai turned to the light-haired man walking beside her, looking at him apprehensively.

"Hey, Takashiro?" she said hesitantly.

"Hmm?"

"It's nice of you to drive me to school and all," she began, "but…I have my license too, so I could take myself to school… in a less pricey vehicle."

He laughed, "That car was a little much for you, was it?" he said jovially. He shook his head, amusement still playing about his face, "I'm afraid this is the only agreement I could come to with Luka. But he drives Yuki to school in the sports-car, so you're not alone in flashy transportation methods. Anyway, neither he nor I want you to be alone on your way to the university, seeing as it'd be the perfect opportunity for Luze and the others to strike. I'm afraid you'll just have to bear with the awkwardness of it."

Kai sighed again, "Alright," she said, conceding defeat.

"Ah! Mr. Giou," a woman said as they opened the door. She shook his hand, saying, "I'm Watanabe Yori, the dean of students." She turned to Kai, blinking in surprise, but smiling kindly all the same, "You must be Kirihara Kaida. My you look different from your school photo."

"The photographer they got wasn't the best," Kai said evasively.

"I see," Ms. Watanabe said, "Well, here's your schedule and a map of the campus. I'm sure you'll get along with the other students. I'll talk to you at the end of the day about how things go, until then, please enjoy your classes. I just need a quick word with Mr. Giou and then you're free to go!"

Kai waited patiently as the dean took her new guardian over to a corner. Were she still human, Kai suspected she wouldn't have heard a word of their conversation. However, with the newly heightened senses brought on by her transformation into a Duras, Kai was able to pick up every word spoken.

"I know artists can be eccentric, Mr. Giou," Ms. Watanabe said apprehensively, "But I can hardly buy that that's her natural appearance. There's no way a photographer can be so bad as to mess that up."

"Perhaps there is," Takashiro said, "I can assure you, that is her natural appearance."

"But, forgive me, her eyes are silver!" the woman protested, "I've checked her background too, she's certainly not mixed, and yet her skin is so pale, not to mention her hair is a deeper black that I ever thought could exist in Japan. Don't get me wrong, she's a very beautiful girl, but…"

"Ms. Watanabe, again, I assure you that Kai's appearance is one hundred percent natural," Takashiro insisted, "hereditary traits don't just come from one parent after all."

"That's right, her birth father died in an accident, didn't he? Does she really look like him?"

"Yes," Takashiro said simply, "but it's possible for DNA to act strangely in all children, producing rather unfathomable phenomena."

Watanabe shook her head, "I'll take your word for it," she said, "I'm just concerned how the other students will take it. She dresses ordinarily enough, but she may still find it hard to fit in."

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Takashiro said, effectively ending their conversation.

"'Unfathomable phenomena?" Kai said skeptically as they walked towards the building where her figure drawing class was to take place, "I can't believe she bought that."

"You'd be surprised how much my reputation influences other people," he said with a smirk, "and it saved you some trouble, didn't it?"

"I suppose," Kai said with a shrug, "I just have one more question."

"What is it?"

"You said you didn't want me to be alone on the way to school," she said, "but I'm just as vulnerable here as anywhere, aren't I? I'm not complaining, I just fail to see how you think I'll be safer here than if I were alone anywhere else." In a softer undertone, she added, "and you know someone's been following us, right?"

Takashiro nodded, "It's alright, and I already arranged things here," he said with a knowing smile. He turned around, "No need to hide, boys," he said, "She already knows you're here."

"Damn," a voice said. Kai turned to watch two identical students hop out of the trees overhead, their tousled ginger hair sticking up in several directions, bangs hanging a little in their eyes. The one who had spoken shook his head in disappointment, saying, "A Duras's heightened senses make sneak attacks utterly pointless, it's just not fair."

"It's alright, brother," the other said, his green eyes sparkling mischievously, a very boyish grin on his face, "one of these days I'm sure we'll manage it."

"I wouldn't get your hopes up, Kaito, Maino," Takashiro said, "She's only going to get stronger from here on out." He turned to Kai, "These are the twins, Katsura Kaito and Katsura Maino, they're the closest siblings around and they'll be your, for lack of a better word, escorts while you're here on campus. You may even be able to come up with some sort of transportation method with them, since they'll be living in the Twilight Mansion as well."

Kai nodded, smiling at the twins, "I'm Kirihara Kaida, it's nice to meet you," she said with a bow, "Please feel free to call me Kai." She hestitated, looking at the two of them awkwardly, before finally asking, "How do I tell you two apart? You're completely identical."

"It's easy," one of them, the first who had spoken before, said, holding up his hand, "You see this?" he asked, pointing the ring on his middle finger, "I'm Kaito because I wear my ring on my right hand. Maino's Maino because he wears his on his left hand. We both wear them on the same finger, but as long as you remember which hand, it should be easy."

"We have some personality differences too, or so we're told," Maino said, "Kaito here is a little more aggressive and energetic than myself, it's why he's the punishment half in our pair and I'm the purification half. I can fight too, of course, but I'm also the one who frees humans who have been overrun by a Duras."

"Well, I'll leave you three to get acquainted," Takashiro said, "I have to get to work, but I'll see you all when you get back. Kai, the twins will save you the embarrassment of the car and take you home, alright?"

"He drove you in that thing?" Maino asked as they began walking towards the art building again, "Good lord, it's like he's _trying_ to get people to notice you!"

"Probably because I openly admitted that I was pretty allusive back at Osaka University," Kai said with a sigh, "One of the other Zweilts must have let it slip."

"Probably Senshiro," Kaito said with a bark of laughter, "That guy is a huge worrywart when it comes to other people. Sometimes he mothers Kuroto to the point of insanity." He shook his head, still grinning with amusement, "Honestly, though, Takashiro didn't need to bother, I mean, have you seen yourself?"

Kai's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, "Yes, I have, thank you," she said stiffly.

"Sorry, Kai," Maino said, "Kaito doesn't really know when to keep his mouth shut sometimes. Anyway, you're an art major, right? Do you have any careers in mind?"

She shrugged, "Not really," she said, "I've played with the idea of book illustrating, but I might just go the professional route for piano, since I'm way more attached to my music than my art."

"Well, here we are," Maino said, "the figure drawing class is in here," he motioned to the door they were standing outside of, "Fair warning, sensei's a little-ah!"

"WHY THE HELL HAVE YOU TWO DELAYED MY NEW STUDENT?" the teacher shrieked as he yanked the door open. His brow hair was flying in every direction, making him look like he just went through a tornado. His eyes landed on Kai and his smiled broadly, "MY NEW PROTÉGÉE!" he cried, seizing her by the arm and proceeding to drag her into the room, "Let me save you from those fiendish media arts students and their laziness!"

"Working on the computer doesn't make us any less diligent that your fine arts students," Kaito said indignantly, "we do plenty of hand-drawn stuff too, thank you very much!"

"We'll see you after class, Kai," Maino called as the door began to close, "good luck with Kimura sensei!"

Kai smiled awkwardly as the strange teacher pulled her to face the entirety of the class. She couldn't help but notice that they were staring at her and sighed inwardly. There was honestly no hope of a normal college life for her now, especially since she could tell that most of them had already guessed it had been her in the car.

_Thanks a million, Takashiro._

"My darling Protégées," Kimura sensei's voice drew her out of her thoughts, "This is our newest addition, Ms. Kirihara Kaida. Go on, say hello!"

She bowed, "It's a pleasure to meet you," she said with a more genuine smile.

"You moved here from Osaka, didn't you?" he asked joyfully, "that's my hometown, you know."

"I see," Kai said, wishing for nothing more than to get started with class.

"Well there's a seat next to Suzuki over there," he said, motioning to a girl with orange hair that was pulled up into a short ponytail. She smiled energetically as Kai sat next to her and set up her art supplies.

"Suzuki Kyoko," she said, holding her hand out for Kai to shake, "As in the city, not the color."

"I figured as much," Kai said with a small laugh, "I'm Kai, by the way."

"Pay up, Riki, I told you she goes by a nickname," Kyoko said to the boy on her other side, who begrudgingly handed her a five hundred yen coin. She grinned as Kai looked at her questioningly, "Riki said that anyone who shows up in that kind of car is probably a rich princess who would snap at anyone who called her anything but her full name. I told him to shut his trap, saying that I'd be will to bet five hundred yen that you would be someone who preferred a nickname to her full name. I originally did it just to argue with him, since Riki just annoys to crap out of me-!"

"Hey!" the boy cried.

"But he took the bet and that's how all that just happened," Kyoko finished, winking at her, "So tell me, what was with the flashy entrance anyway?"

"My guardian insisted," Kai said, as Kimura sensei told then to start sketching the still life set he'd put in the center of the room, "I can't really go into it, but it's just how he is."

Kyoko laughed, "Man, he must be loaded," she said, "and what do you mean 'guardian'? What about your parents?"

"They live several hours away from where I'm living now," Kai said, "My step-dad got a really good offer and he's not exactly in the middle of nowhere, but my mom wanted me to go a really good university so they figured giving Takashiro custody of me would be fine. They knew I'd be turning twenty this April anyway, so it'd only be a short-term thing. Still, even when I turn legal, I'm not planning to move. Takashiro wants me to stay with him until I graduate."

"You got a weird situation, my friend," Kyoko said, "And you said you have a step-father, was your real father Scandinavian or something?"

"No, he was Japanese," Kai said, looking down at her sketch, "He… died in an accident before I was born."

"I'm sorry," Kyoko said quickly, "It's just that… you're so pale, I though you were half, and Scandinavians have really pale skin and light eyes, so… you know… logic would lead me to assume…"

Kai shook her head, "No, it's just weird DNA," she said, mirroring Takashiro's words, "just all natural weirdness."

"Weirdness is good, Kai," Kyoko said, "just look at Kimura sensei. He's completely off his rocker, but he's one of the best abstract painters in Japan and one hell of a teacher. Then you get me, a spontaneous half-Irish woman and damn proud of it. And I'll tell you now you'll have one hell of a time beating me when it comes to splatter painting."

"Not my style, anyway," Kai said with a laugh, "Besides, this isn't necessarily going to be my main field, anyway. I was telling the twins earlier that I was thinking about going professional as a pianist."

"That's cool!" Kyoko said, flipping her page and beginning a new sketch, "I think I'm going to me a mangaka. Oh and that reminds me, how do you know the twins? Family friends?"

"More like housemates," Kai said, "they're determined to get the jump on me at some point, not that I'll let them."

"I'd be careful about who you tell that to," Kyoko said seriously, "Those two are extremely popular. I don't want Arisa going after you just because you live together."

"Arisa?"

"The class president and the headmaster's very spoiled daughter," Kyoko explained, rolling her eyes, "She runs the Katsura Twins Fan-Club and she'll destroy anyone who tries to move in on her territory."

Kimura sensei clapped his hands, "Alright, homework!" he said, "I want one painting done of your pet for tomorrow. If you don't have one, paint a bird or something, lord knows we have enough of those damned crows around here. I just want an animal on your canvas by tomorrow."

"Aren't we ending rather early?" Kai asked as they packed, "I though this class was two hours long."

"Oh, I guess they didn't tell you," Kyoko said as they grabbed their bags, "A group of middle-school students is coming to sing to us. I'm pretty sure it's a French class too and they're from pretty far out."

"I see," Kai said, slinging her bag over her shoulder as they left the room, "my little brother's taking French and he taught me some before leaving, though I doubt I'll understand a word they're singing."

Kyoko laughed, "How ironic would it be if it was his school?" she said jokingly as they exited the building and headed towards the auditorium.

"Kaida?" Kai wheeled around, staring at the two figures that approached them.

She raised and eyebrow at Kyoko, "What was that you said about irony?"


	10. Author's Got Somethin to Say

Hey Guys, Neko here. Listen, I know you've all been waiting for this thing to be updated, but I'm going to level with you and be honest.

I hate it.

And for your viewing pleasure I have started anew. That's right, I'm rewriting this; new plot and all. It should be up sometime soon (chapter 1 that is) and I hope you'll enjoy just as much as, if not more than, this thing that I cannot stand the sight of any longer.

Thank you for your support, I'm sorry to cut it off like this

NI


	11. Notice

**Important Update to All Readers**

So, I'm happily settled into college, and working hard to build my major and get through my classes. It is understandable, therefore, that finding time for writing fanfics is a little difficult. Even so, I do have a couple in the works -or reworks. I'm going to write/finish/finalize work for the following series: The Betrayal Knows My Name (because I haven't finished even one version yet), D Gray-Man (because I owe it to myself), Bleach (because I have a fun plot line I'd like to work with, and I've never actually gone very far with writing for Bleach before), and _maybe_ Naruto (if I can keep the idea in my head long enough). As per usual, these will all have some version of my OC Kai, and other OCs will play parts in these fics as well (expect repeat performances from the names Haru, Akira, and Ren). I would like to stress, though, that this is not for lack of creativity, but for lack of energy to create any more new characters, especially when I fear I might bring in OCs from my book. That's right, folks, I'm writing a fantasy novel (I mean it, an actual novel with its own original plot and everything -holy sh*t, right?) and it's taken priority over writing with other people's characters. Still, every author needs a break from her own creations, and I consider working with "stock characters" a good break. That's why I will keep writing fanfiction for now. I do plan to finish each of the aforementioned stories, but updates will be slower, and it will take longer to get them done. All I ask for is your patience, and for you all not to be too hard on my when I hang up the long-term fanfiction hat permanently, which I will do when I finish the fanfics I've promised. I say long-term, though, because I may come back with a few shonen-ai oneshots every once in a while.

The long-term fics I am writing are final drafts of the following already published stories (sorted by series):

_( D Gray-Man)_

In Memoriam

Bound by the Symbol of Kegare

Forced Forbearance

Give Me a Reason

_(Betrayal/Uraboku)_

It's Just a Looking Glass

Where Hell Is a Good Thing

_(Bleach)_

Faded

These are the working titles for the upcoming fics, along with the intended pairings (subject to change):

_(D Gray-Man) _

Life Worth Living- KandaxOC (Maybe, it could end up just a friendship between the two of them).

_(Betrayal/Uraboku) _

Black on Black- LuzexOC (I'm actually really excited for this one)

_(Bleach) _

Security- OCxOC (heterosexual); OCxOC (homosexual) (Another one I'm pumped for)

_(Naruto)_

Fine Line- GaaraxOC (again, I may not write this. The idea isn't fully formed yet and I'm not as invested in the series as I once was).

I've already said it, but I'll reiterate: these are FINAL DRAFTS. If I haven't already completed them, I will NOT be finishing any of the already published stories that the finals are based off of. For that matter, I will not be finishing any other incomplete fics either. I simply don't have the time or inspiration.

As always, I appreciate your support. I won't delete my account, nor will I delete any previously written fics, as they serve as a reminder of how much I've improved as a writer. I hope you all will appreciate the new work coming your way. Nothing makes an author happier than receive feedback on her work. Thank you again, and I hope you're all excited for what's to come.

Feel free to message me with any questions!

~H


	12. Chapter 12

Please go to my account profile and read what's there- IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.


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